Colliding Worlds

[Silence]

After the evening fun Illya found himself drifting off to sleep even while he was still trying to whisper sweet nothings to Kalizda. "Yah...." His eyes closed again and he started to relax a little more before he suddenly jerked awake. "Yah beautiful." Muttering the words in Kaerelean he managed to garble the rest of what he was saying so badly it wasn't recognizable as any language. Slowly the mumbling began to fade into an occasional snore. Usually he didn't snore all that much unless he'd had a seizure, or if he was dosed up heavily on medications.

Part way through the night Illya thought he heard Cypher and he felt along the bed blindly with one of his hands until it flopped on a lump laying across Kalizda. It had to be Cypher. The boy lifted his head and he seemed to debate if he should crawl over to his dah, but he was too tired and so he went back to sleep the same as his dah. Illya rolled over in the bed and he was sure it was still night time. Normally he woke up a few times each night just out of habit and sometimes because his back hurt, but this time he didn't know why. Reluctant to get up he felt along the bed and discovered it was empty. It was still warm, but empty. Kalizda must have decided to get up. From what he could figure, Illya assumed that he woke up because he could feel she wasn't in bed with him. There was no hurry to get up and he knew she wouldn't want him to be wandering around too much just yet.

Whenever he'd fallen back asleep Illya didn't know, but he could sure tell when he woke up. There was a sudden crash into the bed and him. The momentum was enough he knew that it couldn't be Kalizda. At the same time he felt a clump of snow fall under the blanket and immediately start to melt on his chest. Cold water from the ice and snow chunks ran down his chest to his stomach and then further. Taking a sharp breath Illya grabbed whatever it was scrambling on top of him and turned onto his right side. It was all automatic and he did it without looking or thinking. When he opened his eyes he saw Cypher was laying on the bed staring at him with wide blue eyes. The boy's little lips were blue and he held up a freezing little glove with a hopeful gaze. He wanted to snuggle in with the heated blanket. Unfortunately there was now a damp spot on it and several places where there were more little snow clumps. Illya figured that since Cypher was a boy it didn't matter so much. Lifting his blanket he did his best to shake it off and then laid it over himself and the sheet again.

"Dah, I want tah get warm. Hmmm?" Tilting his head to the side Cypher gave a little grin and nodded. He'd already learned to make statements and then ask. There was a little combination of what he learned from his mother and his father.

"Yah take off yah wet clotes first." Illya pulled the little glove thrust in his face off Cypher's hand and then started to pull everything else off that he could. "Go put et away wit yah mum and den yah can come back and get warm." While Cypher was gone Illya got up and put on a pair of boxers and a pair of pants. He wanted to get up for a little bit today. It was surprising at how slowly he was moving. Cypher was already back to the room before he could readjust the blanket to put the wet spots at the bottom. "Jes wait." Shifting the blanket on the bed he crawled under the covers and then Cypher scampered off as if he had something planned. Whatever it was Illya didn't know.

Only a few moments later Cypher returned with his Monster. "Dah, you said you would play with me." Papa wasn't very good at playing with the spider and Cypher didn't want to just lay down in the bed. He wanted to play while he was at it.

Illya couldn't quite remember if he'd told Cypher that he'd play with him and the spider. It didn't sound like a good idea while they were in the bed, but he couldn't see the harm in it either. "Oh, ok." Beckoning for the boy to come up on the bed he watched lazily as Cypher crawled under the blanket with him and then let the spider loose to play.

The boy chased the spider all over Illya's chest and stomach and he even let it crawl in his dah's hair. It was exciting to play with it like this. After a while Cypher was warm and dah was sleeping and that led to more games. He chased the spider all the way down to his dah's prosthetic leg. Mum had told him that the hard leg was ok to touch, but not the other one. When the spider crawled inside his dah's pant let he could hear the spider's little feet tap along as it went and especially when he trapped it and chased it back out and then up to his dah's chest again. Finally, it was time for lunch and he decided to leave Monster with dah. Dah wouldn't mind if he had Monster for a little bit and he wasn't too scared to sleep with the spider.

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

Cypher checked his little spider cage before bed and he gasped. "Monster es gone!" He couldn't remember where he'd left Monster. His big blue eyes started to well up. "Mam he's outside. Monster is cold." Surely if he'd lost his spider again it would have run away outside. Despite the trauma he had to go to sleep and his mam promised to help him look in the morning. Last time she found him, so maybe she would find his Monster again.

No matter how hard Illya had tried to stay awake and help Kalizda put Lohgan to bed he ended up falling asleep with his youngest daughter laying on his chest. The sedatives had made staying awake for anything next to impossible. He didn't have as much drive as he normally did and he certainly lacked ambition to get up, or argue with Kalizda about much. By the time she came to bed it was only made obvious to him because Lohgan was lifted off his chest. A few minutes later there was a slight rustling of the blankets and he turned over to hold Kalizda.

Part way through the night Illya shifted to lay on his back. It was getting uncomfortable to lay on his right side, sometimes it got sore like it was now. Two nights in a row and laying on his right side was getting to him. Since he couldn't really hold onto Kalizda he blindly groped about the bed till he found one of her hands and then placed his sloppily over it. He was sleeping a little lighter than he had the night before and he woke up more often. Illya wrote it off as having slept too much. Then he felt something strange tickling at his shoulder. With a groan he put his left hand up by his right shoulder and flicked away whatever it was and continued sleeping. He was tired and it wasn't the best time for Kalizda to be trying to tickle him with her hair.

The spider, Monster flew a short distance before it hit Kalizda and then scrambled for the safest spot. So far it appeared that the safest spot would be her hair. It provided ample space to hide and there was plenty of heat radiating from her skull.

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

Terrence finished his 4 days on and he set his skis outside the house. He hadn't seen or heard from any of the strangers. In part he wondered if they hadn't been scared off. Most folk that had a Chip left the place in quick order. They would stay long enough to make repairs, get supplies or see a doctor and that was about it. Inside the hut he brushed the snow off his hat and stomped his boots before stripping down. Tip toeing around the puddles of water from his boots he made his way over to the fire. "Did you see a Chip the other day?"

She already knew by the sound that it was Terrence come home for a few days. Helen filled one of the bowls with hot soup and then another for herself. Carefully taking the two bowls out to the main room she handed one to Terrence. "I saw one and I helped him too." For working in a precise business there were times that her son lacked precision in his language and she was still trying to teach him to watch what he said.

For the time Terrence decided to ignore that annoying habit. His mother was trying to correct him again. "Yeah, I did a little looking into them and I think I know who they are."

"Well, if you think it might be the council woman and her husband then we both think the same thing." Helen had no doubt that her son would have figured it out with access to the files that he had. She however, was going based off memory and a little bit of news. Anyone who didn't watch the current events regarding this war was insane. Eventually it would hit their borders and the council woman was their best shot at getting a fair deal. With her husband it would be a guarantee against certain violence as well between their people.

"How did you know?" Terrence looked up from his soup with a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

The woman chuckled. "It's called deductive reasoning. If you paid more attention to the news and less attention to your nights at the hunter's fire then you'd know these things without having to use your pad."

Taking a deep breath he grumbled. "You're always upset about the newest technology. We have pads for a reason."

"I'm not against it, but I want you to use your brain a little more. If they are still here in a few day's time we'll have to talk to the forum. We may have to go out into the outlying area and get a few of the supporters." Those who had not taken as kindly to extremes had chosen to live apart from the village, and she knew they would need every bit of support they could get. Otherwise, it could be trouble. Perhaps enough that she would have to send a message to them to get out before they were trapped on the planet. With many Pithians still alive that remembered the war it made it difficult to find allies for this cause. There were certainly some that would want to execute the Chip because of who he was, but no one would want to involve the Federation. At least not that she knew of.

It sounded like there would be trouble. Terrence didn't remember the war, but he knew the hatred ran deep. It was something he didn't quite understand. Growing up in a household where Chippequoti were often cared for he had learned that behind their brute strength, and strange mannerisms that many of them were kind, most were gentle, and a few were friendly. "Maybe if they had something to offer it would be easier for the forum to accept them."

Helen nodded. "Now you're thinking, but we still need to find out a little more. I don't think that they would randomly choose to come here. There must be a purpose. If it goes poorly we'll have to strongly advise setting them loose. It is the council woman and if we make an act against her or her family in any way we could be allying ourselves with the Federation by default."

 

[aryamajor]

How was it her son could move so fast? Cypher jerked out of her arms and took off like a rocket toward the ramp of the ship, sending cold snow chunks everywhere. "Cypher wait! Don't run!" Too late. Her son was already thundering through the ship and down the hall. Shaking her head, she jogged up the ramp of the ship after him to see where he had gotten off to. "So, much for liking it outside." He was more like his father than ever before and that fact was only proven when she was nearly run over by her son bounding out her room and stripping as he went. "Dah says I can get warm under dah blanket, Mam!" His feet were leaving slick trails of melting snow everywhere and there was only one thing to do for it considering he had just piled into their bed sopping wet. "Alright, hang on."

She made her way back to Cypher's room, picking up his abandoned gloves, jacket, and singular boot as she went. No sooner had she made it back to his room, did he come flying out of it again stripped down to his boxers and carrying Monster's cage with Monster the dog nipping at his near bare bottom. It was fine if he wanted to go hang out with his father, but he could be so rough and that's not what was needed. Catching up with him, she stalled the door before he could open it with his spider clutched in his other hand. "You can go in there with Dah, but be gentle, do you understand me? He has a hurt on his leg and it doesn't feel good, okay?"

His blue eyes met hers and he nodded vigorously. "Okay, Mam. I will be good."

Assured he wasn't going to be crawling all over his father's bad leg, she opened the door and let him inside. Immediately, he jumped into the bed with his father and Calysta chuckled a little before her eyes shifted to Lohgan. The girl was still asleep, which given the ruckus her brother could make was a near miracle, and Calysta wasn't about to wake her up.

********

Later in the night Calysta settled down with Illya and began rubbing more of the cream given by Helen over the hole in his leg along with a few other of the scars. Already, she was seeing a great Improvement in his leg. The scars were beginning to fade some and the healing process seem to be expedited much faster than with any Ehaui medicines. The cream did not smell that either which was a bonus. When she was done she laid back with her chip and kissed his cheek.

She was fairly sure he didn't remember a thing about dressing up in the outfit and having a good time the night before, and hadn't even questioned her when he woke up to find the little leather pieces flopped over the chair near the bed. Whatever sort of sedative that Helen used seem to do much better than traditional anesthesia and some ways. He slept a lot but at least he didn't wake up a bear.

"Hmmm... how are you feeling?" She had to resist the urge to call him Ira. That was going to be her little secret for a while. Nodding at his answer, she rolled over in his arms careful not to bump his sore leg, and gave him an even better kiss on the lips. It didn't take long to get him riled up, and she wanted to see if the sedative had put him in the same sort of mood again.

When they had had their fun and they were Tangled lazily with each other, she fell asleep satisfied, but apparently he was not. His hand kept heading at her hair in an insistent sort of way. Almost as if he was tugging but not quite.

"Mmm...Illya...more?"

He didn't reply but kept right on playing and this time settled his entire hand over her head like he was petting a dog. What in the Wilds sort of play was this?

She mumbled to him and ran a hand up his arm only to find both of his hands were down by her waist. Frowning, she shifted and brought a hand up to her hair. There was something there.

A panic struck her and she started trying to remove it...but the strange foreign object moved. "Illya...Illya! There's something in the bed!"

Jumping out of his arms, buck naked, she started trying to comb out whatever was scrabbling around her scalp. What was it?! "It's in my hair! Get it out! Get it out!" Dancing frantically, she got a good grasp on the fat, hairy body of Monster and squealed as she shoved the thing at Illya, though it was half stunned, legs splayed out and hissing.

After all the yelling, Lohgan was awake and had started crying just as her father came bursting through the door, pistol in hand and looking ready for a fight in his pajama bottoms and t-shirt. "What's going on?!" Calysta yelped as her father came in and snatched up the blanket from the bed to cover herself.

"Dad go back to bed!" She yelped.

Thomas didn't have to be told twice before clamping is eyes shut and scuttling out of the room again. "Sorry! Sorry Caly!" If they were going to get that Rowdy the least they could do is remember the rest of them we're worried about an impending attack like the last time they exited the ship and to keep it down.

******

Calysta settled into the living room chair reading over reports that had finally filtered through to her pad and drinking a cup of warm mint tea. It was one of her favorites but she was already running a bit low on the others, though she had stocked plenty on the trip from Jackobi. She suspected someone had been making some with every meal but she wasn't entirely sure who it was coming into the kitchen once everyone left. It simply meant they were going to have to decide to actually go into the town soon and that also meant having a conversation with Illya about their identities and Helen's proposal. Putting down her pad, she glanced to Illya and nodded. "I'll put some of that cream on your back as well as your leg tonight for the scarring," she said while he read his own pad. It was doing well on his legs and his back was still so damaged that it couldn't hurt to add some of the cream to it in an effort to combat dry skin and general health of the skin he had left. "Helen was kind enough to give us a fair amount. We'll have to venture into the glen soon and pay her a visit, I think."

Reading a little was something quiet that Illya could do. Sitting in his chair next to Kalizda he read very slowly through the slides and he would shove his page over in front of Kalizda every now and then when he needed help translating a word. Building his vocabulary in Kaerelean had turned into his sick, or injured pass time. After a while he started to make some decent progress and then Kalizda started to talk. Setting the pad aside he looked at her. "I tink et might help. Dah cream es helping meh leg. I tink dah scars are nut so sore. Maybe meh back would be better eh?" Shifting in the chair a little bit he rubbed the left leg. "Ef we got lots of cream why we go back tah Helen again?"

Calysta flicked the next page over on her pad and glanced up at Illya carefully. "If we keep using it on your back and your legs, you'll run out faster and she'll be expecting us." Preparing herself for the inevitable, she sat her pad down and met his eyes. "She and Terrance both know who we are, Illya."

It seemed to be obvious that they would run out the cream faster if they were using it on his back. Illya stayed quiet after that answer. He almost felt dumb for a moment and then Kalizda stated the next part. Instantly his heart slammed into his rib cage and he leaned a little closer to stare into her eyes. "How do dey know? Do yah know how dey find dis out?" He'd been out of it and he didn't know if he'd made a blunder. With all his training he certainly hoped he hadn't.

"Yes and no," Calysta said carefully, "When we got there and you fell asleep, she seemed to already know. Or have guessed it. I'm the councilwoman and these people aren't like the Demosians who shun outsiders, they are in touch with what goes on in the galaxy, the Alliance included. She seemed to think that there would be a fair few people here who would be interested in joining the Alliance." She spoke casually, as if she it weren't some major issue. "She hasn't said anything to anyone but said the people here would me meet as the council woman. I asked her not to say anything until we were ready to move forward. The fact that we've been left in peace is proof enough that she hasn't said anything to anyone, and neither has Terrence."

Taking a deep breath, Illya leaned back in his chair again and sighed. "I tink I should have expected dat someone would know us one day." It wasn't like he was anonymous anymore. Being the wanted war criminal plastered all over Federation territory and then the hero of Kinte was enough that most people that kept up with the news would know him. Kalizda was a famous woman being the council woman and she was probably even more widely recognized. "Ok, den what yah suggest as meh agreed, friend, adviser, diplomat, and council woman?" Perhaps it was a little overboard sounding, but he loved watching her face as his list went on and on. "I need tah know what yah tink before I do someting wit dis news. Yah do very well Kalizda and yah prove dat yah negotiating skills are very good."

She stared at him, her eyes widening some as he took the news that their cover had been blown rather well. It fact, he was complimenting her rather than getting worked up, and she had the urge to check his cup for how much sedative tea he'd consumed. He was calling her all those things and once again relying on her as she relied on him. It bright a smile to her face though there was the underlying worry of letting him down again, losing that trust again all over again by making the wrong move. "I've been considering that for the last few days. I didn't want to make a hasty move until I could talk with you about it. Helen seemed to think that some sort of quorum would be called to discuss the option of joining the Alliance. I don't think everyone here will be interested in it, considering how deep the bad feelings are between the Pithian's and the Chippeqouti who are Alliance citizens. However, I think some will hate the Federation more, and see their involvement in the war as inevitable. It might be enough motivation to join in keep the Federation out, if not join the Alliance entirely." Shifting closer to Illya, her eyes narrowed some at her next comment, "I'm not entirely sure about this meeting though, I don't know enough about them to know if such a division in thinking will cause a fight and destabilize the area which will make it easier for the Federation to come in. I need to know more about them to better judge what to expect when we meet with them."

: From the sound of it Kalizda had put in a lot of thought and Illya leaned a little further back into his chair. "Hmm...Yah have good tougts. Maybe we take time to talk about dis togeter. Yah tell meh more about dis Helen and Terrence." He wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation, but he had to rely on Kalizda. She knew what the situation was better than he did and she had more than proven herself so far. "We talk before we decide tah see Helen again and yah give meh counsel eh?"

Calysta smiled and inched her fingers over to his covering his pinky with hers. "Aye, we'll talk and work it out together. When I spoke to her she mentioned the war against the Federation a hundred years ago, the one that you had fought in. The way I understood it was that when the chips we're working for the Federation that the Pithian territory was one of those occupied by them. When the Chippeqouti were forced against the Federation it drove are people out causing and even worse divided between the two. Those are some deep issues and I want to know more. What can you tell me?"

Calysta smiled and inched her fingers over to his, settling them over his pinky with hers. "Aye, we'll talk and work it out together. Helen, seems intelligent and kind for the most part. From what I understand, she had a chip husband once. When I spoke to her she was willing to help us it seemed . She mentioned the war against the Federation a hundred years ago, the one that you had fought in. The way I understood it was that when the chips we're working for the Federation that the Pithian territory was one of those occupied by them. When the Chippeqouti were forced against the Federation it drove are people out causing and even worse divided between the two. Those are some deep issues and I want to know more. What can you tell me?"

In a way Illya had hoped to avoid this part of the conversation. He didn't want to talk about the war, or the things that happened during it. She had every right to ask about it, but he didn't like it. Illya turned his gaze away from her. Sometimes it was too hard to look at her when he had to talk about these sort of things. "Kalizda dis es nut good tah talk about. Ef yah know what happened I dun tink yah would feel dah same about Chippequoti. Some tings are better nut tah be said."

Her little fingers squeezed his slightly and she tilted her head, trying to meet his gaze. He was going to be stubborn about this, but knowing the past may well have meant the difference between failure and success with the Pithians. "Illya, not talking about things in the past doesn't change things...it just means we can't learn from it. We don't have to make the same choices, and even if it does make the Chippeqouti look bad, I still need to know to move forward safely here."

She was going to insist and Illya didn't want to talk to her about that, but he didn't have much choice. Swallowing hard he stared at the screen on his pad. It was easier to look at something impersonal when he talked about these things and he switched to Quoti so that if anyone overhead they wouldn't catch all of it. "When the Chippequoti first landed to take control the Pithians were outwardly violent. We tried to be reasonable and work with them. Many of them tried to poison the Chippequoti, then they discovered the nerves in our backs and started to bury our men alive in the mountains. They couldn't move and some of them we never found. Some of the men were set on the ice with fires around them and we lost most of those men. Pithians always worked in groups and they passed blame from one to another and we could barely find a guilty party. Things were getting worse with the Federation and after long enough men started to get fearful. When men are afraid and they feel like they fight for their lives they do desperate things. Chippequoti were losing men too fast and we were all afraid to walk out in the open and so the Chippequoti did the only thing they knew how. When a Chippequoti went missing they would gather all the people passing blame and execute them all. It didn't stop. In time it got worse. Soon Chippequoti were treating the Pithians like animals. We starved them and some men made the women give them their bodies for rations to take home. There was saying, if you couldn't break an enemy's will that you bred them and make them kin. Those making trouble started to get younger in time and soon we had to decide if we could kill boys and girls. They were not old enough for this war, but no one ever is. So we decided that they knew what they were doing and they knew the cost. This why the Pithians hate the Chippequot and the Chippequoti hate the Pithians because they forced us to make choices that we didn't want to make. They would not deal with us when we offered them what we could. We learned to hate the Federation when it drove us beyond the forests that we took from them. When we had to pursue the Pithians into the snow and mountains. Maybe it was this place, maybe it was somewhere else. There were some that tried to help the Pithians. Some officers did not allow killing the Pithians, but the man best known for his work to make peace for the Pithians was butchered by them. They refused peace at every turn even when we made offers. We invaded once and we were always the enemy."

With his somewhat muddled but factual report completed on the history of Pithian and Chippeqouti relations complete, Calysta sat back against the couch processing this newest bit of information. It was alot to take in and if she was honest, there was a need for her to simply sit in the quiet for awhile as the millions of thoughts settled down. Several times, she opened her mouth to say something before she clamped it shut again to rethink what she wanted to say. The divide was worse than she knew and there were deep wrongs on both sides, no matter which way you looked at it. This was something that was in the past as well, at least for her. I didn't seem like Illya or the Pithians had much trouble in remembering the past. Finally, she looked to Illya and captured his gaze with hers, locking it in, mostly for her own personal benefit. "We you one of the men stationed with the Pithians?" She needed to know, because if there was anyone here who would want to hurt Illya beyond him simply being a chip, she needed to know. Especially with their children on the planet too.

When he finished with his short history of the relations between the Chippequoti and the Pithians Illya continued staring at his pad. There were a lot of things that he didn't like thinking about and this was one of them. Who would want to think about this when there were other things more pleasant? As hard as he'd tried to put the war away it always seemed to come back to haunt him. Then Kalizda spoke. She wanted to know if he'd been part of this mess. Slowly he lifted his gaze from his pad and he glanced at her before looking at his pad again. "My father brought me with him when he came to oversee the troops and withdraw the trouble makers. I was only here to observe."

Calysta sank slowly against him, her temple meeting the top of his shoulder. It was both relieving to know, because she needed to, but it also was a bit saddening. She wondered briefly, and again, if the face her father in law showed her was real at all. Among the things that bothered her, it was the selfish thought of herself. No wonder Markus had been so kind to her. She had been percieved as a key to an empire. *If you can't break an enemy, you make them kin.* She knew Illya didnt feel that way about her or their children, but it did deepen a wound that had already been created. "Okay," she said quietly as her head turned to kiss his shoulder and then settle again. "It's the past and its going to be hard to get through, but it can be different for the future if we try. " She knew that this could quite possibly be the hardest thing she has ever done. It might even get her killed. Yet still the point remained, that they were there and they still needed to combat the Federation.

After a long while of Simply sitting and thinking, she rose from her seat and took Illya's hand with her. "Tomorrow we're going to visit Helen and Terrence again." She knew at least they were safe to talk to and learn more about the locals and what to expect. Whatever move she made could very well determine her own with life as well as her children's.

That night, she laid next to Illya and couldn't get comfortable, tossing and turning was about as much rest as her mind could muster. Eventually in an effort to let her husband sleep, she slipped out of the bed and settled into the chair across from him. What was it that bothered her so much? Is it the fact that she would be facing more danger tomorrow? No. She's faced danger in the past and that was nothing, though it was slightly more stressful with the family here. It was something deeper. She had been proud to call herself as part of the Chippeqouti, but the truth was that they were the same as any other people. They like to think that that they were morally grounded, but in the face of their elite soldiers, even those laws which with they base their entire Society were set aside. She understood that war came with difficult choices, and that some laws were going to be broken, but she also felt that some lines should never have been crossed. It was important for her to remember that the people now living on her home planet were the same and yet somehow different than the ones Illya described. She was still tempted to have cyphers middle name removed from the record, despite that she had left it alone until now. Covering up with a blanket, she rested her head back and closed her eyes. It wouldn't do any good to meet Helen without at least some sort of rest.

 

[Silence]

"Illya...Illya! There's something in the bed!" He had never heard Kalizda sound so panicked. Despite the deep sleep he'd been in Illya shot upright in the bed and he saw Kalizda's little pale figure bolt from the bed. Her pale skin made it almost look like she was glowing. His heart was racing so fast that for the moment it was hard to breathe. What was it? Illya couldn't see anything in the bed and he moved across the bed as fast as he could. "Kalizda!" Grabbing her he tried to stop her from her frantic dancing and he got hit under chin. It made him bite his tongue and he grunted a little.

No matter what he did she was still panicking. Whatever it was she thought it was in her hair. "I dun see anyting in yah hair." Whenever he tried to help with whatever it was her wildly waving hands would get in the way, or he'd get slapped again by accident. Finally he grabbed her hair into a pony tail and as he was doing that a lump formed at the top of her head and the spider tried to free itself from what was becoming a deadly trap of hair. Kalizda plucked the spider from her head and thrust it toward Illya. "Oh..." Sheepishly he took Monster from her about time the door flew open and her father came in the room. Why would Thomas burst in like that? Illya had it under control, sort of. Once Thomas was out of the room Illya grabbed a pair of boxers. "I jes go lock up Monster." He wasn't going to tell her that he'd fallen asleep with the spider in the bed earlier today. This was one of those things that could just remain a mystery. He was certainly not going to tell her that it was likely that funny sensation on his shoulder was the spider and he'd flicked it on her in his mostly asleep state. No, it was all going to remain an unknown unless she asked.

Walking as quietly as he could with his limp back toward Cypher's little room he pushed the door open to see their boy sitting up in his bed wide eyed and sucking his thumb. "Eh, yah mum find Monster for yah." The spider was always finding Kalizda before anyone else and in some ways Illya thought she had to be the person the most terrified of it. Cypher grinned broadly. He watched as his spider was placed back in its cage and then let his dad tuck him back into bed. Once Illya was gone Cypher turned so he could see his spider better. Mam was really quite heroic. She was always able to find his spider no matter how far away it ran.

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

The next day was quiet and it was the last day that Illya had to take the medicines from Kalizda. He ate whatever food Kalizda brought him. Despite the fact that he wasn't doing all that much he still had the same appetite till he looked at his stomach. "Awe...I'm getting fat and lazy." Still, he had a bit of gravy on his plate and he smeared the bread he had left in it. "I jes work harder den and I won't be fat. Today I dun worry about et." Flashing Kalizda a quick grin he finished what he had on the plate.

Even if it had been only a few days it was remarkable at how fast he was recovering. Illya felt better than he expected he might and his leg even felt pretty good. When it came to dinner he got up and had dinner with everyone else instead of in bed and helped Kalizda clean up after the meal. It was enough activity for a day that combined with his next dose of medicine that he felt tired out. Once the dishes were done he took himself back to the bedroom and flopped onto the bed. This time he was asleep before she even got to bed. It was too bad because he had thought he would have the energy to have a little bit of hide and seek with Kalizda before they went to sleep.

Illya felt the blankets moving around a bit more than was normal. He knew that Kalizda was restless. She was tossing and turning and he couldn't really hold her when she was like that. In fact she had laid separate from him in an attempt to let him rest. Still he liked to know she was there and he reached along her side of the bed for her. Where had she gone to? Without opening his eyes he started to scoot himself closer to her end of the bed and he still groped along the bed till he reached the edge of it. When he didn't find her there he reached with his other arm and felt his side of the bed. She wasn't there either. Slowly he sat up in the bed and rubbed at his face while he yawned. "Kalizda?" He could barely make out her little form sitting in the chair across from him in the room. "Yah feeling ok?" It was rare that she would ever leave the bed in the middle of the night and he couldn't help worrying about her.

The sound of her name stirred her out of her barely reachable sleep and she twitched slightly before her eyes cracked open just a little and settled on her Chip's shadow sitting up over the bed. He sounded sleepy, and she could tell he was rubbing his face in between yawns, even in the dark. At his question, her gaze softened some and she nodded. "I couldn't sleep," her voice was nothing but a croak the first time and she cleared it. "I didn't want to keep you up with me. At least one of us should get some rest."

"Mmm..." Moving his legs over the edge of the bed he slowly got up and walked over to where she was. "Yah jes come back tah bed. Et's nut comfortable tah sleep in dah chair. Yah sacrifice many nights sleep for meh before and I tink dat one night won't hurt meh ef yah feel restless. Ets better for yah to sleep close to meh. We bot feel better." He wasn't sure all he said was 100% accurate, but it was how he felt. "Maybe I jes hold yah for a little and yah talk to meh. Tell meh why yah can't sleep eh?"

Calysta was torn between staying in the chair where she knew she wouldn't bother him and not being asked what bothered her for fear of hurting him but also wanting to go back to him. She slept better when he was there and that was actual fact. Slowly, she gathered up her blankets and shuffled over to sit beside him. He would expect an answer and she knew a satisfactory one had to be given. "Just a few things on my mind," she admitted, "I was just trying to understand a few things that were bothering me." She shifted closer and wrapped an arm around him, hiding her face a little in the dark. "I'm not a soldier, Illya."

When Kalizda got up it appeared she was coming back to bed and Illya took himself back to the bed to sit down. Since he was back to the bed he pulled the heated blanket around himself and waited for her to explain what was going on. Perhaps she had some pain that he could help with. If she wasn't sick then maybe she was in pain. He could understand that part. Instead she sat down and made a statement that he couldn't help grinning about a little bit. "I know and I like dat."

"You do?" She asked, somewhat surprised but also relieved in a certain way. She shimmied closer to him and sighed. "I was thinking about the Pithian's too. Illya, I know I was counted as a Chip and I know there are alot of things I don't know. Its hard for me to imagine them doing such things. Your father and the Chippeqouti, I mean."

"Ef I wanted a soldier I would have crawled on meh knees and begged one of dem tah ask meh tah agree wit dem." A smirk came to Illya's face because he knew he would never have groveled like that. It still made a funny picture in his mind. After a moment Kalizda continued with what was bothering her. In a way he knew he shouldn't have said anything, but she also had an odd misunderstanding. "No, meh fater dun take part in dat. He took meh as boy tah show meh what yah do when yah men break dere orders. Markus never approve of dat kind of behavior. He taught meh tah disable meh enemy ef I could instead of killing dem and he would never approve of using women like dat.

Calysta's small hand slipped over his chest as she relaxed a little more. She had seen Illya do that to his enemies, disable rather than kill. It has been one of the first thing she noticed about him. It was also slightly relieving to know that it was the same standard that his father held. She have thought he would be mad at her for saying something like that, but he wasn't it seemed. "I'm glad he didnt." Her fingers were making slow circles over the warm skin of his chest as she thought about it. "I was happy to be counted as a Chippeqouti, even if I really wasnt. It was the first time I thought I belonged somewhere, even of they did banish me. I still am proud to be your agreed and to help them. I want them to live beyond that past, if they want to."

It was odd to hear Kalizda talking like that. Illya felt a little tired and so he pulled Kalizda on top of himself as he laid back in the bed. "Once yah adopted yah always Chippequoti. Exile, or nut et does nut change who yah are and where yah belong. Ef yah weren't exiled den yah wouldn't have people eh? Dey can't exile yah ef yah dun belong to dem."

He wasnt quite understanding how she felt and that was probably largely due to the fact that she had trouble describing how she felt to. Maybe she shouldn't have even been talking about it at all. It was her fault for having asks and not liking the answer after all right? "I suppose you're right," she replied as she laid across his chest. Maybe in the end of all things it didn't matter. These things were in the past and they shaped how people reacted, but they didn't have determine the future entirely. "No matter what happens this is us...we stick together, right?"

So far as Illya could tell it was all settled and she didn't have anything to worry about anymore. He could feel her hot breath running across his chest and her fingers tracing over shoulder and then down his arm and back again. Slowly he moved his right hand from her lower back to her shoulder. In a slow rubbing motion he moved the hand up and down her back until he could feel her back start to warm up. "Dun worry, meh little bird always has meh. She es what I want and I protect her because I dun want tah lose her."

If all the world came crashing down and all she had was Illya and her family, then she could face anything. Perhaps that was the best way to keep looking at things. She was neither a chip from the past, nor capable of saving the entire galaxy. But she had been capable of helping people or she could and that included the Chippeqouti. Slowly her body relaxed against him, warming up as he rubbed her back and her eyes began to droop. "You'll always have me Illya, everything I have is yours too." Snuggling down a bit further, she yawned and mumbled. "I dont want to lose my wolf."

For the next couple of days Kalizda started to help Illya with his portions that he ate and she began smearing the cream on his back too. Illya could feel the difference in his back. The slight bit of pain killing inside the cream was nice. When she hugged him he could feel the pressure without the sharp pains and he relaxed a little more when he felt her arms wrap around him. In some ways he'd gotten used to the way it felt, but this cream was great and now that he knew there was something that helped he wanted more of it. Perhaps Kalizda did too. It always seemed that no matter how hard he tried to keep these sort of things from her that she noticed them to some extent. Still, it was better to be able to be close, to hug her, and love her than it was to let pains and aches govern his life. Isla had taught him that a long time ago and his life was far better since he learned to manage some of the pain and ignore the parts that he could. If there was something interesting to think about or something to distract him sometimes he forgot that he had certain pains. Having a cream that took some of the pain away was worth whatever it cost.

They were out of the cream after Kalizda started to use it on his back. It worked well and Illya liked it. In part it may have been due to the fact that the cream had a little bit of a numbing agent in it. However, Illya didn't mind if his back was slightly numb. Being out only meant one thing that was slightly upsetting, they had go see Helen. After he was bundled up and Kalizda watched to be sure he didn't put on layers and layers of shirts and pants he was ready to go. By now his leg was mostly healed up and he could limp around pretty good. As they made their way toward the little red house he glanced at Kalizda and then back to the house and then back to Kalizda. "How did I get dere and back to dah ship?"

Calysta turned on her heated jacket a little ways after leaving the ship and stowed her gloved hands in her pockets to endure their trek to Helen's house. It wasn't a terribly long walk, but it did make a cold one and they would have to be going down the ridge again. At least this time Illya could walk, though it was a slower walk with a bit of a hitch. She was keeping a careful eye on him, just in case he fell. Not that she could do much if he did fall, he would take her down right with him to the ice, but at least you might be able to tell him where some of these slick spots were. As they near the ridge, he asked how they got back to the ship and she glanced up at him with a raised brow if it were obvious. "I put you on the sled and pulled you both ways."

At her answer Illya's cheeks turned a little rosy pink. He hadn't really thought about that till now and he realized she was probably sore because he was a little big for her to be hauling around. "Eh, I guess maybe now dat I'm doing better I make et up to yah. I cook dinner and take care of dah kids and massage yah back and arms and legs." She had to be sore after that.

Calysta pulled her hand from her pocket and looped it around Illya's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. It almost sounded like he felt guilty and she didn't want him to feel that way, but now that he was able to do a little more the help would be nice. The massage would be more than nice as well. She wasn't as sore she was before but the exertion had lingered a little bit longer than she cared to admit. "I think that sounds nice," she chuckled , "Maybe we can do a date night and relax together, yeah?"

"Dat sounds like a good idea." Dating would be exactly what she needed. Kalizda needed a night where he focused only on her and her needs. She had a lot of needs that he could meet. Even if the walk felt long for his leg it wasn't that long because they were already at the house. Pausing outside the door he glanced to Kalizda and then knocked. There was a yell from inside for them to come in and he cautiously opened the door. Illya had half expected to find a trap and instead he just saw the vaguely familiar face of the old Pithian woman standing near a stove while she cooked something that smelled delicious.

Calysta smiled as they continued their Trek to Helen's house, taking the ridge and the subsequent Hill a little bit more slowly then the last time. When they arrived it sounded like she was in the back of the house and gave them permission to enter, her voice muffled through the door. When they finally open the door to go inside she found Helen at the stove with something bubbling away that smelled absolutely delicious. Whatever was cooking fill the entire house with a savory aroma and Calysta couldn't help but taking a deep breath to enjoy the smell. "It's good to see you again Helen," she smiled, "Is Terrence here too?" She wanted to speak with them both if it was possible, considering it was likely they both knew who each other were at this point.

The woman looked at the council woman and nodded. "He's in the shed getting some wood for the fire. Looks like your agreed is doing better." Wiping her hands off on her apron she walked over to the two of them and nodded to Illya. "Go back to the room and take your pants off. I need to look at the wound and make sure it is healing correctly." She didn't like taking chances even if it looked like her patient was doing better. When Illya left she glanced at Kalizda. "Is he doing well?"

Calysta stepped to the side to allow Illya access to the bedroom. Helen was the direct sort of woman, that reminded her of a chip in some ways, at least when it came to giving men orders. The people here would probably have balked at the comparison but it was true. As Illya shuffled off, Calysta tried to take a peep into the pot on the stove, but the lid prevented her from seeing exactly what it was. "He's doing well, much better actually. No coughing so far and his leg is healing faster then I've ever seen an injury heal on him before. And I've seen a few at this point. I've also been applying some of the same cream to his back where he has a severe amount of scarring. It seems to be helping him a great deal. I have you to thank for that."

"His back?" Helen frowned deeply. She was a doctor among her people, but she hated for anyone to suffer. "You didn't tell me about that before. I'll make a large batch of the cream if it was helping, but I'll want to see his back too. Is there anything else that needs treating?" Helen waited for a moment and then turned to go back to her kitchen where she worked furiously to mix up a very large tub of the cream. "I didn't tell you, but I was one of Pithians that would go out to Quoti for a while before it got too dangerous. I would go to try and help teach the herbs to the people there so that they could survive in their exile. I went because my Chip begged me to try and do something for them and I can't stand to see anyone suffer as it is."

Helen seemed surprised to learn that his back was injured as well. "It would probably be better if I just told you what hasn't been injured in the past rather than the other way around," she admitted, "He's suffered a great deal of damage on the right side in the war and was severely whipped over his back as well." She felt a spot of guilt still for what the pirate had done, and she wasn't trying to make her husband look weak. He would probably not like the idea of her telling Helen his injuries, but her medicine seem to work so much better and if she could help him then it was worth the fussing later on. "He was also shot in the head by the Federation." As the woman worked, Calysta thought she might need help and picked up the spoon, gesturing that she was willing to help cook. "I can't imagine what shape they would be in if someone like you hadn't gone. When I met them, they were surviving, but it seemed only just. The Federation has done some terrible things to them and I imagine they have done some terrible things to your people to." After a long moment, she thought over what Illya had said and titled her head. "What was your Chip's name?"

It appeared that the council woman wanted to help and Helen nodded to the big pot of soup. From what the council woman had described there was a lot that had gone wrong and she was lucky that her Chip was still around. They were strong, but also fragile in some ways. Especially that little nerve spot on their back. Chippequoti had their entire spinal column protected with an extra sheathe of bone and then there was that single spot. At the end of it the council woman asked her about her Chip and Helen felt her eyes water slightly. "His name was Dahnovan. He was a Dark Chippequoti with blue eyes and he was always surprisingly gentle with me. For all the strength that I knew he had he never used it forcefully on me."

She moved the lid from the pot and dove the wooden spoon into the mixture, greeted by the delicious smell of whatever kind of soup was brewing. As she stirred, she listened, her eyes shifted to the tall woman when she heard the slight pitch change to her voice. "I'm sorry he didn't live," Calysta said earnestly, "He sounds like a good man. Like mine too. Always a gentle man. He's never raised a hand to me and always stays tender even though he could have easily had someone capable of handling his strength."

"If all the Chippequoti are as gentle as he was then I could see how it would be easier for your people to accept them as allies. They would be an easy people to love even with their strange traditions." Helen smiled a little. "Tell me about what the Chippequoti have done now in the Alliance." Grabbing a few last things from the cupboard she headed back toward the room and assumed that Kalizda would follow behind her. When she stepped into the room she saw that the Chip was waiting. "Take off your shirt too. I want to see your back." Illya reluctantly took his shirt off. He didn't really like people staring at it, but the cream was helping and perhaps the woman would give them more. They could always pay for it too.

"The Chippeqouti are...people," Calysta replied, unsure of what Helen really wanted her to say. She didn't know if new of their departure and subsequent return from Pyrta had reached this far and she wasn't about to bring it up as it was still a sore spot with her and, there wasn't much else she could add to the event. "They are people, some which are kind and others that have different thoughts on things." It was a truth she had learned all too recently. "They live among my people as full citizens,with safety, shelter with all the rights they should have had when I met them.They are good even their traditions is...baffling sometimes." Following the Pithian woman into the bedroom, she waited and watched while Helen went to work making Illya strip down to near nakedness. The pale scars making up the large portion of skin on his back still made her stomach turn slightly. It made her sick to think that Elian had been so cruel to him because of her. "It was a razored whip," she said to Helen quietly, "And surgeries." At least she didn't have to worry about the woman being too rough with him.

While Helen was studying the Chip's back she nodded to the woman. It appeared that the scars on his back were not faded as some and therefore these ones were on top of whatever he had from the war. Perhaps that was how the woman met the General. There was never any telling how people met. Carefully she placed two fingers on his back and felt around one of the scars. It felt deep, some of it was hard and then she felt him stiffen some when she pressed. Illya wasn't sure what the woman was doing, but some of it hurt. After a moment Helen dipped her fingers in the cream and lathered a thick layer over his back. "He'll need more on his back then what you put on the rest of him. The scars are thick and they'll fade faster and heal better if they can absorb more cream. It will help with the damage and keep it from getting too dry." After she had a good amount on his back for Kalizda to see how much to use she had Illya put the cream on his own legs. While he was working on putting the cream on his legs the healer decided to ask one more question. "Do you need more tea for the lungs and is there anything else?" Illya glanced at Kalizda with a questioning gaze. He didn't know that there was a tea she'd been giving him for his lungs and wanted ask about help for her body after having Lohgan, but those were all things that Kalizda would need to be ok with.

Calysta tensed when Helen checked over Illya's back and was obviously in pain. She knew the scars were tender, but if the woman had to do it to determine how to use the cream, it would be worth it. When the woman was done testing, she showed how much cream to actually apply allowing Calysta to take careful note. "I was worried about them getting too dry in these weather conditions as well," she said honestly. She helped lather Illya in the cream along side Helen with gentle hands until it was absorbed and then met her Chips gaze before looking up to the kind woman. "I can't think of anything else, can you Illya?" She wanted to ask Helen privately if she might have a tea that would promote heart and cardiovascular health along with reducing stress for him, but she was a bit shy to mention it in front of Illya because he might object. "Thank you so much for you help, Helen. I'm not really sure there's anything I can do to repay you except offer you what we have in money and a place at our dinner table."

It was hard to tell by the look the woman gave her and the man what was going on. Helen glanced from one to the other and then she nodded. "For now you'll both stay and have something to eat. I'll let you stay with him while he gets dressed again. Try to let the cream soak in a little more before putting a shirt back on." Helen stepped out and went back to making more tea and a few more tubs of the cream for back up. It would take a while of treatment for his back to do better. While Helen was gone Illya glanced at Kalizda. "Yah need help for yah inside. After Lohgan she hurt yah body and et needs tah be healed eh?"

She didn't seem interested in payment for now and that made Calysta both grateful and slightly uneasy as she nodded to the departing Helen. When she was gone, she settled back on the bed with Illya and looked him over, her eyes catching on the scars, some of which she felt responsible for. Despite the fact that he was the one who was hurting, the first thing out of his mouth was a question in concern for her, a similar comment to the one when they first arrived. Her body had been damaged first from Cypher and then from Lohgan. The scar tissue often times created painful periods where she could feel every twinge and cramp, though there was no way she could have more children. "I'm not sure how much of that can be healed, " she said, "But maybe she has something that can help with the aches from my cycle since having Lohgan. Most of that is from scar tissue." It couldn't hurt to ask if there was something that could be done at least, though it would be best not to hope for more than that. "She has been very kind to us so far."

Illya nodded. "Ok den, yah have tah tell her about et. I tink yah better at explaining dis den I would be." She had done most of the talking for him in these situations here. The first time he had to let her talk because he wasn't quite considered a person and he didn't remember most of their visit to this woman, Helen and this time she had to talk because he wasn't entirely sure what was done or talked about the first time. "I dun like tah see yah hurt like dat, or get sick." Carefully he started to pull his shirt on over his head and he felt her hold the back of it out so he didn't scrape all the cream off as he pulled his shirt down. When the stepped out of the room Helen had served four bowls of soup. It was taking Terrence a while, but he was probably finishing cutting some extra wood for the days that he would be gone again. Illya looked at Helen and he spoke slowly. "Dere es one oter ting. Ets for her because she has some trouble after having our babies."

Calysta helped Illya into his shirt, careful not to press the material onto his back and waste the cream which still needed to be absorbed, then she kissed his cheek. He could be in terrible pain and yet some how managed to think of her, even before his memories had returned. "I know," she whispered, stealing another kiss, "We'll see what can be done, yeah?" Managing a small smile, she walked into the kitchen where 4 bowls of that delicious smelling soup was waiting, though Terrence had yet to arrive. As soon as they walked through the doorway, Illya announced the last thing that they spoke about and her immediate reaction was to blush slightly. "My first child tore me when I went into labor suddenly," she said, "And my second created more scar tissue. Having a children again would be an impossibility, but if you have anything that can help with cycle pains...that would be appreciated."

The announcement seemed a little sudden, but Helen understood. Perhaps it was easier for the woman to have her man break the ice on the subject. A blush had come to the council woman's face and Helen nodded. "There is something I can do. I will make some oil capsules for you. The capsules will be filled with some oils and medicines that you will take for a month and then you'll have a cream that will be applied vaginally each night before bed." Glancing to Illya the woman made a small note. "It's not good for men, so you'll have to do all activity before that stuff goes in there and the best case would be if you abstained for that whole month. Her body will need time to rest and only focus on repairing itself. After that you can go back to whatever is normal for the both of you." Just as she was finishing the sound of someone outside stomping off their boots sounded. Terrence would be walking through the door in just a few minutes. He still had to take his boots and coat off in the extra coat room.

The capsules sounded manageable enough but the latter part of the treatment sent her cheeks a flame with the idea. Not only was she going to have to do this herself, but there wouldn't be any sex for a month? Glancing to Illya she could already tell he was getting that look in his eye. That same one he got when he found out she was pregnant with Loghan and had put so many timers and schedules on her info pad, intently watching her like a mother hen. She was about to go a solid month without a drop of fun and she knew it. Not that she couldn't do it, but it was so much harder when he was by her side and things between them were never better. The sound of boots being cleaned of snow made her jump slightly and she looked to the doorway, knowing Terrence would be walking in any second. "Aye, if you could do that it would be a great help, but I still feel we should pay you for your kindness some how. You've helped us and now you're feeding us."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. When we go to the forum in a few days I'll have a plenty big favor to ask. I want to go back to the Alliance territory." Helen met their gaze. It was a big favor to ask, but she wanted to see what was happening and she wanted to be on the front lines and help the soldiers. That was something that she missed from the wars. Helen wanted to make a difference and for a long time they had lived here and done nothing, but hide.

Calysta blinked at Helen in surprise. She wanted to go back to the Alliance territory? Not that she didnt blame the woman in some ways. She was an outcast here on the tundra and clearly loved the Chippeqouti people enough to try to help them further. "You want to go back to the Alliance territory under amnesty?" she asked, trying to make sure that she had a clear idea of what was being asked.

The woman nodded. "I want to go and those others living on the outside of the village will want to go to. You have a big ship. Take us."

So this had been what she wanted the entire time. They hadn't planned on going back to the Alliance for awhile and she made it sound so simple. "The Alliance would welcome you," Calysta replied, "But I would need to know how many people you were asking for to leave. My ship is large, but it's no transport. It is built as a cruiser and that makes a difference on a 2 month long trip back to Kaereal."

Helen sighed. "Maybe, we will have our own ship, but you take us back with you." She wanted to go back to the Alliance and she wanted to make a difference. "I'm an old woman, but I still want to do something with my life. You're young and you want to make a difference and so do I."

Calysta exchanged looks with Illya, trying to determine where he was with all of this. Personally, she didn't mind anyone who wanted to come along to join them. The Alliance needed all the help it could get, and she more or less trusted the woman so far. Not to mention, it had been part of the plan to return home after this trip to check on how Pyrta was doing. "That's something I can respect," Calysta replied, "When the time comes to go you will be welcome with us. Though I have to know how your leaving will affect the area, Helen. This is one of the places the Federation will run to and I can't leave it unstable either. Even if they do hate the Chippeqouti, no one deserves Federation retribution."

All during the conversation Illya stayed quiet and he kept his expression neutral. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it, but he wasn't the one with any kind of say in the Alliance anymore. As much as it irked him to know that he didn't have anymore power in that arena he knew he gave it up and so he had no room to say anything. Kalizda did what she thought was right and he could stand by and support her and try to make sure the choice she made wasn't going to have a negative affect on anyone. Terrence stepped in the door and he sat down at the table about time Kalizda finished talking about the stability of the area. "Oh, I don't think that should be a problem. We just might contract the General to train some men here. See what we can do to make sure the Federation never survives an attack on the planet. I know that's one way the forum would agree to you being here and possibly agree to any kind of future relations. Heck, if we got that kind of training there would be nothing to worry about and if he's training us we know he can't go wild cause we out number him. That's how it would look anyway." Illya took a deep breath and he stared at Terrence for a moment. "Providing dat I'm willing tah teach yah. I dun much care for yah kind, but ef yah kind can do a few tings right I might overlook yah lineage. Besides, I hate dah Federation more."

A number of things went through her head, ranging from glad Terrence offered his suggestion to wishing he would stop calling Illya the general. That wasn't his title anymore and she was glad for it more than anything else. When it came to training men, only he can make the decision to do that. He wasn't doing so under orders or because he was the General anymore and if you didn't want to she was certainly wasn't going to make him. "If Illya is willing and your people accept than those wishing to be taken to Alliance territory will be granted amnesty. You two will be welcome when we leave to come with us of course." It felt like the right thing to do even if it was a bit dangerous. She wanted to invite them to the ship first for dinner so that she can ensure that they were not Tannas and also run a few checks of her own. She would trust them but she would not do so blindly.

Helen nodded and Terrence seemed to stiffen slightly at the way his suggestion was taken by both of them. Still, all things considered it was about the best they could hope for. Illya glanced at Kalizda and he muttered in Quoti, "We didn't talk about this offer you just made."

"I'm not making you train them if you dont want to but I'm also not leaving them here if they want to leave to help the alliance. We need people with skill," she replied in Kaerelean. She didnt know if Helen could speak Qouti, though she imagined that she could. "I'm also not letting them on the ship before I do some investigation of my own. What do you think?"

Kaerelean was something that Illya understood far more of than he could speak so he just nodded and decided to leave it there for now. He couldn't really say yes to one part and then no to another with just nodding or shaking his head. Speaking Kaerelean was still difficult enough he was certain that he couldn't make her understand what he wanted at this point. "Ok, I train yah people."

Calysta looked at the two of them and nodded. She had probably just angered her husband and possibly invited death on her ship, but she also felt the pull to try to do what was right and she felt like this was it. If she hadnt listened to her instincts with the Chippeqouti they would all be dead on a desert planet nearly 10 years ago. "If Illya is willing then this is the deal I will propose." She only hoped that when she stepped among them. Her hands were shaking slightly, something that had never happened on previous negotations and she stepped toward Helen. "Now, do you need some help with dinner?"

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

The forum gathered in the long house. In the center they had a fire burning and the people that couldn't fit into the long house stood outside in throngs and stared through the window. Everyone wanted to know what would be decided by the leaders and those inside the represent the people. Rumor had it that this was a delegation from the Alliance and they were going to make an offer.

Illya stood near one of the walls and he pressed his back against it. He didn't trust the Pithians not to do something and he would rather be able to fight a little longer if he was going down. This sort of meeting reminded him more of a trial than anything else. The people inside were murmuring in their language and he could only guess what they were saying to each other. What made him even more uncomfortable was the multiple pink nosed faces pressed to the window outside. Involuntarily a sweat had started to break out over Illya's brow and he unzipped his coat.

Looking over at Kalizda Illya hoped that maybe she knew what they were saying, but she appeared to be just as lost as he was. All that the two of them could do was stand there and just watch the people talk and point to them and then continue talking. Even if no one had moved too close to them Illya still felt as if he was on edge. Part way through the exceedingly long talk that these people were having he saw one man point toward them and yell. As he was yelling he started to make his way closer and Illya put an arm in front of Kalizda and stepped in front of her. It didn't take much of his body to act as her shield since she was so much smaller than he was. As hard as it was to maintain his cool and not hit the man or shove him away from them. Illya didn't know what he was going to do and they were mostly trapped here.

Helen could see that the Chip was getting nervous and it wasn't without good reason. He couldn't understand what they were saying and neither could his woman as fa as she knew. To make it worse one of the men was yelling and pointing toward them and getting closer. It could erupt into a brawl and end very badly if she didn't at least translate what was happening. "The Pithians are excited to be offered your training and this man is going to want to put his right hand on your left shoulder and he'll pull you toward the center of the room."

Even with the translation of what was going to happen Illya grit his teeth and tensed when the Pithian set a hand on his shoulder and pulled him toward the center of the room. Once he was there he was offered a cup that had passed around what he assumed were the officers. He hated to drink from the same cup as the others, but he did and then he passed it on to the next man that held out his hand for it. From the expression on his face he felt about the same when it came to drinking from the same cup as a Chip.

As soon as the cup was done being passed around the men cheered. There was still a large number that stood off to the side with sour expressions, but the forum had made their choice. It would be against the Federation, but they would also end up in an alliance that had accepted the Chippequoti as well. Some of the Pithians still didn't trust the Chippequoti not to turn on the alliance. After all, everyone heard about the way the Chippequoti had tucked tail and run off to live by themselves. This one was wandering around with the council woman because she was his agreed and that was likely the only reason he was here.

Helen stepped over near Kalizda and gently took her by an arm and started to lead her out of the long house. "You stay with me for now. The men will come out shortly and he will begin training with them. I will show you more of the medicine if you like. It takes a long time to master it, but I think that you would be good student."

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

After the Pithians were good and drunk the group of them walked outside with Illya. It was freezing outside and Illya zipped his coat up again and pulled the hat over his head. He hated how cold it was in this planet. For the most part it was rare when his face hurt, but this place could manage that. The men handed him a pair of strange clips for his boots and then some skis. Illya took the clips and fixed them to his boots and then imitated the other men putting on their skis. For the most part he wasn't too worried about this, he was fairly athletic and it couldn't be that hard.

About time Illya had the skis on the other men handed him some little rods that he was supposed to use to help propel himself along with. The group of men already started to ski off and Illya slid along awkwardly until he hit an icy patch. Almost immediately he started to slide into the splits and he opted to fall over instead of doing that. Even if he was in moderate condition he couldn't stretch that far. Taking a sharp breath he started to haul himself off the ground and then resumed his awkward sort of ski shuffle. By the time he reached the top of the hill he was was sore. His rear end had been the landing pad for several of his less graceful moments. At the top of the small hill the drunk Pithians started down the slope and gave him a grin.

Despite the fact that the Pithians were drunk they were far better in their skiing than a perfectly sober Chip. Illya stood up perfectly straight and he sort of shuffled his way toward the precipice of the slope and then pushed himself over the edge. It turned into a series of running through bushes, legs spreading precariously wide and then hitting a rock that made him lose a ski and he went head over heels down the rest of the slope. At the bottom he found himself staring at a sea of grinning Pithian faces.

They were relentless and decided to retrieve his missing ski for him and then head right back up the slope. One of the men finally spoke at the top of the hill. "You don't stand up perfectly straight. Do what I do." The Pithian crouched slightly and he leaned to one side and then the next as he explained the process of turning, "You turn by leaning like this."

It appeared to require a bit of control with the ankles and Illya wasn't entirely sure his prosthetic allowed that much control. The joint had some range of motion, but it wasn't as good as his other. When he tried to imitate the Pithian he found that the boots and the clips didn't actually require control of the ankle it was all related to the weight. He could do that. The second trip down the hill was almost as bad. The first time Illya tried to turn he ended up sliding down the hill till a tree caught him. Halfway through the day he started to do better, but he was already sore from his multiple accidents and then the Pithians decided to take him to one of the mountains to ski. If he was going to train them he needed to know how to get around with some sort of efficiency.

This time the slope appeared to be a bit more steep and the Pithians reminded him of the basics. They said he was ready and it was not a high skill slope, but by the end of his week long ski training they intended to have him taking some of the more serious mountains so that he could train them in their environment. It all made sense, but he didn't like it any better.

A few of the Pithians went down first and they made it look easy. At least this time they weren't drunk. It made Illya feel slightly better. He hated to think that a drunk Pithian could do anything better than he could when he was sober. Crouching a little lower Illya started down the slope. He had no idea that the lower he crouched the faster he would end up going. It was all so fast that he wasn't quite prepared for the rock ahead. It was covered in snow and he couldn't see it. All he heard before he went over the rock was a bunch of Pithians cheering. Was he doing that well? Instead he found himself launched a good 50 feet in the air. It acted as a ramp and he was going fast and the ground had only dropped away beneath him. 50 feet was a somewhat long distance for a Chip to fall. Not enough to kill them, but it was enough to break a bone if they fell wrong.

Illya felt his heart spring into his throat as he saw why the Pithians were cheering. In a slur of yells and asking for some sort of direction was a garbled mess and he spread his legs slightly to prepare for landing. That was what he knew to do and instead he heard the Pithians yelling for him to put his legs together and bend his knees. Despite his training for falling before this he decided to go ahead and do what they said. Somehow he managed to get his legs together, but he crouched a little too low before he hit the ground. When he hit there was enough spring in his legs, but that was the bad part. Last thing Illya knew was that his knees and legs were getting very close to his face.

At first the Pithians thought he landed it even though the Chip had crouched a little too much. He'd gone from the spread landing that the Chippequoti soldiers did to the tuck and roll stance. He landed and then almost immediately went limp. A puff of snow went up and occasionally on the way down teh slope they'd catch sight of a limb or some shadow among the flurry of snow that would indicate he was still tumbling down the hill.

The Pithians raced from the top down after him and when they got there he was completely unconscious. Apparently the Chip had managed to knock himself out. It was somewhat of an accomplishment. Most folk got knocked out because they crashed into something, not themselves. He'd lost his skis and it was easy enough to spot one because it was sticking straight up out of the snow. A few stayed to collect the skis, two rolled him into a blanket and drug him back toward his ship and the rest of them went home. It was getting close to the end of the day anyway and when the Chip woke up they had no doubt that he would have a headache.

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

Illya woke up to the feeling of soft something running under his back and then an occasional very hard bump. Groaning, he tried to turn over, but ended up with his face stuffed into the side of a cold blanket. Suddenly he stopped moving, but he still felt dizzy. Looking up at the two Pithians dragging him along he grumbled a thanks and stumbled out of the blanket. He wasn't going to have someone drag him home to Kalizda like that. She would freak out. His leg was sore and he had a feeling that his back, head and stomach would be to. That tree caught him right on the gut.

Limping into the ship he was met by his bear and the bird screeched at him. It wanted meat and it wanted to go out. He would do that later. After he stripped off his cold clothing Illya took himself to the bedroom to get the heated blanket and he ended up falling asleep in the bed instead of taking himself back out to the living room.

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta would have liked to enjoy dinner a bit more their conversation had been more casual. Now, there was a heaviness in the air of expectations and promises that she would have to deal with. At least the soup, whatever kind it happened to be was absolutely delicious and gave her good cause to tuck into her meal without saying much else for awhile. She could tell Illya was probably irked with her, and it yet it wasn't something she could have helped in some ways. Taking spoonfuls of soup, she watched Helen and Terrance, occasionally meeting their gazes. They weren't bad people, at least she didn't think so, and at least they had been more welcomed by them than they had been on Old Qouti and even Demos. A part of her wondered if it was too easy. Maybe it really was a Federation set up, and just like Lahna, they were Tannas. She had just risked her family offering them a spot on their ship for a foot hold here, essentially. A thought that made her feel guilty and yet...she still felt like she had done what was right. What kind of a person was she anymore? Pushing those thoughts aside, she ate her soup. "This is delicious Helen, thank you for the meal."

The meal passed quietly and when all was done, Calysta helped take care of the dishes while Helen mixed the medicines she mentioned for them both. She tried to watch while her hands swirled around each bowl with a worn rag, clearing away the remnants of the soup. The herbs she was using were potent, much more than the ones used on Illya's back and she fought the urge to sneeze. How was she going to manage to wear that every night for a month straight? By the time all of the medicine was made, Calysta was eager to get back to her babies. "Thank you again," she said nodded, taking the medicines and stowing them in her bag. "We'll be back before this forum to meet again."

She walked along with Illya back to the ship, thinking things over more and by the time they arrived, she felt worn out. Not in all her life was she so conflicted or uncertain about herself. She had tried to be a confident pilot and captain, but this was the harder job since the world had fallen apart on Kinte. Her mistakes caused deaths and she was afraid to make another deadly move. Checking on the children, she found Cypher asleep with his thumb stuck in his mouth. It was a habit she would have to break him of eventually, but for tonight it was an issue that would just have to pass. Pulling the covers higher over her boy, Calysta kissed the top of his head which caused him to stir some. "Hi Mam," he sighed sleepily before rubbing his head into this pillow and slipping into sleep again.

Next she checked on Lohgan, smoothing her baby's hair and tucking her tiny, wayward feet into the blanket once more before settling onto the bed with Illya feeling tired. Walking in the snow was tiring in its own way and she was already sore from hauling Illya around. The thought of even trying to finagle with the medicine Helen had given them was exhausting sounding. "I'll start on the medicine tomorrow," she sighed to Illya as she stripped off her coat and removed the cannisters from her pocket. At least Helen had put the cream on Illya and that task was already done for the night. Stripping down, she slipped into bed next to Illya and curled up to him under the heated blanket, more or less ready to fall asleep next to her Chip now that things were arranged. She wondered again if he was angry at her, but he hadn't said anything. Usually, he was pretty forward about what the thought. Rather than speaking his peace, he offered their date night with a massage and she wasn't going to turn that down.

******

She was nervous standing in the meeting house of the Pithians and watching as they debated. She didn't know the language they were talking in, but the tone was heated and the more they talked the more she began to wonder if coming here had been a mistake. They seemed outraged at the offered proposal, which she had delivered in full faith in traders tongue to the leadership presented to her who hadn't bothered to give their names either. She wondered if it was a Pithian thing or if it was just the fact that she was an outsider. The story of what happened to the last Chippeqouti representative to attempt negotiations with them flash through her head and she forced back that thought with a wry one of her own. Because Chip negotiators were particularly successful...

When the loudest of the Pithian's drew closer, yelling and pointing, Calysta stiffened some. Illya stepped in front of her automatically, already tense with the readiness to fight. Her eyes darted from one face to another noting any possible exits were blocked, and that was not a good thing for any Pithians in their way if things turned to violence. She waited like a loaded spring, until Helen spoke up, explaining...that their offer had been accepted. They wished to join the Alliance and be trained by Illya. They had a funny way of showing excitement, in fact, it was easy to see how they might have been confused with fighting words in the past. Especially by the Chippeqouti.

Illya was lead to the center of the room away from her and given a cup to drink from as part of some sort of acceptance ceremony. The sight did bring back some uneasy thoughts. He had already been poisoned once by water and she had been high as a flyer on Demos from an offered cup that even the other women drank from. Still, to refuse would probably mean insult and at least the others were partaking. Maybe it wouldn't be deadly, if just slightly unsettling.

After everyone had a good swallow of whatever was in the cup, the men half tumbled out of the tent ushering Illya with them, and left her with Helen who informed her they would be taking her back to the house to show her more of the herbs. That was it? Everything had been strangely easy up to this point and Calysta wasn't sure if that was a blessing or if that mean they were in for trouble later down the road. With their luck it would only be a matter of time.

"As long as you think he'll be alright going with them," she replied as she zipped up her coat. They had speared him within 3 seconds of stepping outside the ship, and there were many more of them this time, ushering off her husband to what she suspected was more a drinking party than everything else. Why she wasn't invited, she didn't know, but it did make her curious. As they entered the snow on their way back to Helen's house, Calysta glanced at the taller woman. "For as much as the Pithians dislike the Chippeqouti they didn't seem to mind taking him to party," she noted with a raised brow, "Though I can honestly say that was the fastest anyone has been willing to listen to us. Except maybe the Terrans and that was...well...." Her voice trailed off as she thought of Wild Ways' popularity and for a brief instant, Illya in the little leather outfit flashed into her mind. Suddenly, her jacket felt a little hot and she shifted her shoulders. "Well it was interesting any ways." Thinking of her Chip like that was not helping her 4 days into the month-long abstaining from fun any easier. Illya had been insistent that they not have any fun at all and stick to cuddling. The snuggling in bed was always enjoyable, especially when he whispered sweet things in her ear, but sometimes those little words and his arms riled her up some and made it all the harder not to resist him.

They made it to the house and Helen took her time showing her the different plants and herbs, first telling her the names and basic uses of each kind. There were some she knew from Yvonne and she was able to remember those easily. Others had difficult names that she made a note to remember or wrote down in her pad. "I'll have them memorized at some point," she smiled, "Yvonne, Illya's mother taught me some things when he was injured before we were agreed." After awhile, Calysta received a small chirp on her wrist link.

"Caly?" Her father's voice echoed from the device.

"I'm here," she replied into the microphone, "Is everything alright?" She had given them the order to keep on alert in case they had to make a quick get away or someone attacked the ship while she and Illya were negotiating with the Pithian's. A message had already been sent to them telling them all was well.

"Cypher isn't feeling well, I think it's just bone aches, but it might be best if you came by and checked."

Calysta bit her lip and nodded, though she knew they couldn't see her actually making the motion. "I'm on my way."

Giving an apologetic look to Helen she started pulling on her heavy winter coat followed by her gloves. "I need to go check on my son, it might just be the bone aches, but they've never been in a climate this cold before." Helen began pulling on her own jacket and started heading out the door with her carrying a satchel of medicine that might be useful. She hadn't expected the woman to come along, and yet it seemed natural at the same time. It also put her slightly on edge. If she came along it would be take her inside the ship and Illya would not be there. Calysta sized up the woman carefully, trying to determine how she would deal with her if the woman did attack. She was taller, sure, but she didn't have Chip strength and if she was Tannas, then there was protocol aboard the ship to deal with such an instance. As they readied to go, Calysta gave a quick sniffle and sniff trying to see if she could detect the sweet smell of a Tannas one last time before she lead the woman to her ship. All she could smell here the potent herbs the woman worked with, and it earned her a few nose shattering sneezes as a reward.

Wiping at her nose with a cloth, she shook her head and they set off toward the ship to check on Cypher. When they arrived, Calysta stepped aboard the ship first and passed under the sensors before glancing back to Helen. Her hands were clenched a little, ready to fight if she had to, but the woman passed through the sensor without issue. A little exhale escaped her before she beckoned the Pithian healer back to her son's bedroom where her little boy was curled up in bed. His hair was mussed, standing in every direction while his cheeks were a bright pink on top of the tan. Calysta settled on the edge of the bed and pulled off her glove to brush her fingers over his cheek. His skin felt warm, probably feverish, and she frowned as he rolled over with a groggy, almost plaintive 'Mam' before he let out a bark of a cough. "Hey, little man," she whispered smoothing down his hair. She knew that cough well enough, having heard Illya make the same sounds a few times before. "Chip Cough I think," she sighed, "Maybe if I can bleach the entire ship I can keep Illya and Lohgan from getting it." She doubted it, but it would be a valiant effort.

Helen offered to take a look at him, and Calysta gazed down at her miserable looking son, who was already getting grumpy with another cough. "Aye, if you have something like the tea that can help?" The Pithian woman went to work, checking Cypher over who was hardly caring about who was sitting next to him as long has him Mam was close. His pudgy fingers reached out for her and Calysta slipped her hand into them, trying not to question why they were sticky with what looked to be candy of some kind. "Mam, I'm cold," he whined before coughing, mouth open wide.

Calysta grimaced and sighed. "Put you hand over your mouth when you cough, yeah? I'll go get you Dah's blanket, but you have to put your hand over your mouth when you cough okay?"

She got a vague, 'uhuh' from him before he rolled over tried to go back to sleep while Helen was looking him over. She had a small worry about leaving the woman alone with Cypher, but her father was standing there watching as well. "I'll be right back."

Slipping out of the room, she walked quickly back to her bedroom and opened the door. "What in the Wilds? Illya?"

Her Chip was flopped out on the bed not even covered in a blanket and still in his now ragged looking jacket. One of his eyes and a portion of his forehead had a large lump which was in the process of turning black and blue. "Illya!" A variety of scenarios ran through her head, first and foremost was that the Pithians had decided to gang up on him like they had outside the ship which was quickly followed by the thought that Illya was perfectly capable of beating himself up most days too. What in the wilds had happened?! She came over to him and checked him over, trying to see if there were any more harpoon holes in him, particularly in any vital spots. "Helen!" she called for the woman. She couldn't lift him properly into the bed on her own and the woman could help make sure his leg wasn't reopened.

 

[Silence]

Helen worked in her kitchen and carefully explained each plant in the basic group that she taught anyone their first time. "These are very simple plants to work with. They are simple to grow, simple to harvest and simple to prepare." It seemed that Kalizda knew a good few of them. However, it was important that she knew more than just the plant name and how to use it after it was prepared. This sort of work meant that she needed to know the plant and how to prepare it so that she could make it into medicine. Anyone could apply it if they had the ingredients and they knew which ones they were looking for.

"This one, " holding up a spiny looking flowered plant she nodded. "Only the roots can be taken inside the body. If you use the flower inside the body you will make someone very sick, or maybe kill them. Later when you learn more you will learn about using the flower. For now, you will learn only about the root." There were still many more plants to talk about, but she heard a little ring come in on the woman's pad.

Even if it was a little irritating to be interrupted in the middle of training she decided to be patient. Helen waited for the woman to finish the call only to hear that one of her children were sick. Grabbing a satchel with an emergency supply of the most common herbs, Helen started for the door. It would only take her a few short seconds to put on her boots, gloves and a coat. The coat had a large hood on it and she didn't worry about wearing a hat for now. Even if it was just the cough it was best to take care of it right away. It was not something to be ignored. In Helen's mind there was never an illness to be ignored. Some had to run a natural course, but they should always be monitored and others could be treated while some, like the cough could not be treated, but she could help ease the suffering of the ill with some tea. A little tea and cream like she taught the Chips would alleviate the coughing and make it more productive. In the long run it shortened the illness, but it was no cure.

The cold air outside tore at their clothes and pulled her hair with a ferocity. "It's a fine thing I don't wear a wig." Half mumbling to herself the old woman took long strides and quickly caught up with Kalizda. Once she was walking abreast with the little woman she slowed her pace and pressed into the wind. By the time they reached the ship her cheeks were a rosy pink and her nose bright red, but it was the way of the weather here. They would be lucky if the entirety of the snow melted before their next winter. It had been an especially harsh winter.

When she reached the ship with the woman, Kalizda Helen noticed that the little foreigner had flipped a little switch and the two of them stood under it for a moment. So far as Helen could tell it was an identification system of sorts, or perhaps a scan. Soon enough she was following the woman aboard the ship. It was large and quite fancy inside. Momentarily she wondered who it was that had the money. Was it the Chip, or the woman? This sort of ship was not common to see and it was obviously made for luxury. Even if her gut instinct was to assume that Kalizda had the money she knew that she couldn't rule out the Chip. Often times the Chippequoti did not pretend to have money, or to be poor. It was difficult to tell which of them had money and the fact that Illya was the General could mean that he had money. Title didn't always come with money and so it was simply something that she would have to find a polite way to ask at some point. They were an odd pair and Helen couldn't quite figure them out.

Finally they stepped around the last corner in the ship's hallway and came to the end of the stretch. There were two rooms on this end and she saw Kalizda push one door open. Inside there was a little boy that was unmistakably related to the Chip. Even if she was too old to have little children, Helen knew how children could be. It was best to let the little boy get comfortable with his mother first.

As strange as it seemed to see a little mixed Chip child she was also curious. He obviously had enough Chip to get the cough, but would it be as severe as most of the Chippequoti that she had treated over the years? After it appeared that the boy was settled she sat down and smiled at him. "I have some tea for you. Something hot to drink." At first the little boy's eyes lit up and she almost felt guilty. Like every Dark Chippequoti she'd met he was enthralled with the idea of something hot. "First I want to see how big your eyes are. Open them for me." She watched as the boy tried his hardest to make big eyes for her and then she widened her eyes in return. "Now I want to look in your ears. Make big ears for me." It was impossible, but children seemed to like the game of 'big' with her.

Just as she was finishing up the game of big Kalizda set the boy aside and went off to get a heated blanket for Cypher. "Since you're mom is getting a blanket I want to see big you are." Grabbing Cypher under each arm she grunted a little as she lifted him. "You're getting to be very big. Maybe I will have to make you a lot of hot tea." Then she heard the woman call her name and Helen set Cypher aside and grabbed her satchel before she started to rush down the hall. What could possibly be wrong now?

Somewhere in a foggy little haze Illya could hear his name being called and he ignored it for now. He was tired and it was just fine to rest for a little bit. While he was still trying to sleep he felt little fingers start to pull at his jacket and brush his hair to the side. Why couldn't she just let him be? Then the awful shriek sounded. "Helen!" Even if he wanted to wake up fast it was difficult. Illya let out a puff of breath and he slowly lifted his head. "Why yah yelling like dat? I'm jes fine."

Calysta felt Illya shift under her hands, lifting his head slowly from the mattress, though his eyes weren't open. Did he just say he was just fine? The words had come out a half grumbling and a half groan that was lost somewhat in his heavier accent that he tended to revert to when he was groggy. Her grey eyes scanned him over carefully as she shook her head. "No, you look like someone has beaten the Wilds out of you, Illya. What happened?" His one eye was nearly swollen shut and the big goose egg was practically throbbing over his eyebrow. There was nothing fine about is at all. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Hearing the woman call for her, Helen got up from where she was at and started back through the hall toward where she'd heard Kalizda go. When she arrived at the next door she saw that the woman was talking with her man and instead decided to go make the tea for the little boy. Whatever was going on could be dealt with later. Illya opened his eyes and he lifted one hand to feel the sore side of his head. If he could have winced he would have, but it didn't really work well with that part of his head all swollen. "I jes have little accident." Flopping back on the bed he sighed, "Meh pride es hurt badly."

Accident? This was an accident? At least it wasn't the Pithians this time. He wasn't the type to lie and say it wasn't, in fact he would probably be cursing and cussing if it had been them. A wash of relief came over her before the inevitable next question arose in her mind and her eyes narrowed at him slightly. "What kind of accident? What did you do?" From her end it looked like he had angered a large Udine and paid the price.

Of course she had to ask and Illya just snorted at her. He didn't really want to say what happened, but neither would she let up till she knew. Pushing himself up he moved to sit on the bed and met her gaze with a sheepish and bruised expression. "Eh, meh knees hit meh head." That was about the only way he could think to put it without having to describe the exact event even though he was sure he was going to get to do that anyway.

He sat up and she had to shift to allow him room to move, meeting his sheepish gaze with a raised brow of confusion. There was only one thing she could really say to his statement which made no sense at all. "You did what?"

"Eh, meh head smashed into meh knees?" Illya wasn't even sure if he was saying it right. She was confused and he was pretty sure that it should be clear what he was trying to say. In fact, he was certain that he knew those words well enough in Trader's Tongue that she shouldn't be confused. He wasn't always so good with the language, but he was so good that he was sure he didn't really have an accent anymore.

Her eyes shifted from his forehead a long ways down to his knees and she tried to Envision what sort of movement would cause him to be suddenly so flexible. His reply was slightly irritating considering he had to know she understood what he said but not how it happened. Furrowing her brow, she crossed her arms and met his gaze again, determined to get to the bottom of whatever happened even if he obviously didn't want to tell her. She almost felt like she was talking to one of her children. "Illya how did your head come into contact with your knees exactly?"

Kalizda was getting that irritated tone to her voice and Illya shrugged when she asked him how his head came into contact with his knees. "Eh, I was skiing."

"Skiing?" Had Illya even attempted skiing before now? What would possess him to try that? Her shoulders slacked some and she let out a sigh of relief. "Aye..wounded pride indeed...c'mon and sit up. I'll get you.some tea for pain."

Everything stopped for the moment and Illya stared at her blankly while she spoke. He could hear, but nothing was really registering for the time. The longer he sat without recognition of anything the more he started to sway and then he fell back on the bed, but continued to lay there for several more seconds before he sat up again. "Hmm?"

Calysta didn't get an immediate response from Illya and she noticed his eyes, at least the one eye that was visible, went a distant for a moment. His shoulders swayed slightly and she uncrossed her arms, reaching out to steady him though it was far too late for that. His heavy shoulders flopped back on the bed with a heavy thud, and she winced as his head bounced along with the mattress which gave a sad sort of shudder. Absence seizure? It was hard to tell on that one as he usually didn't sway when those happened. "Illya?" No sooner had the name left her mouth than he was popping back up looking confused. Frowning, Calysta put a hand on his shoulder and guided back back down to the mattress and then started unbuttoning his coat. "Just lay down on your side for me instead, hm?"

Whatever it was Illya missed it and he felt a little frustrated. Why couldn't she just repeat herself instead of telling him to lay on his side. He knew that's not what she said the first time. Getting a little more comfortable on the bed he pushed her hands away. "I'm cold. I jes wear meh coat for now." He'd just finished freezing outside all day long and he hated the fact that now he had to be stripping while he was still cold feeling. "I get up and we make dinner eh?"

He shoved her hands away and this time Calysta shot him a warning look. "I know you're cold that's what the heated blanket is for, but you need to take the coat off and if you wont let me take it off, you need to take it off yourself." With that, she crossed the room and went to the closet where Illya's seizure medicine stayed in its box. She had made sure to have the Ehaui doctor give what he had of the seizure vials and the shots before leaving Demos, but it wasn't nearly as much as they should have had. Would a hit like that to his head trigger his epilepsy? Off hand, she didn't know if that was strictly possible, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Illya tried to look at Kalizda, but he couldn't see very well out of the black eye so he had to turn his whole head and he grumbled. "Do dis and do dat." With a little growl at the end he started to take his coat off. "Dun matter ef yah turn into little ice when yah take coat off. Jes dun wear et inside." He knew he was giving her lip, but he didn't feel that great with the headache and he didn't see the harm in keeping the coat on. After a moment he had the coat off and he set it aside. "Dere, ets off." Then he caught sight of the medicine and he worked his jaw, but didn't say anything about that part. "I jes put on sweater and I get up tah help yah make dinner."

She understood why he wasn't feeling well and as in a foul mood, but she was trying to help and avoid issues in the future, such as him seizing the middle of the galley floor, but he was being an arse about it. She was already concerned enough about Cypher getting the cough and Illya had gone and done something so wild as to bend himself nearly in half trying to ski? The point of taking off the jacket was for her to be able to jab him with a needle if she had to and now he was bound and determined to get up and help with dinner. She met his green eyes with a steely look of her own. "Yes, do this and do that," she replied smartly, "I'm not the one with a lump on my head the size of small moon." She pocketed the shot and the vial, then plucked a sweater from the closet before walking across the room to trade him the shirt for the heat blanket. "If you're going to be a pill about it and grumble, I'm taking the blanket to Cypher. He's sick with the cough and then I'll be in the galley making dinner." He wasn't going to let her keep an eye on him without some sort of fuss and she was already stressed enough as it was without the lip service over her trying to help him.

"Cypher es sick?" Illya moved off the bed and he pulled the shirt on over his head. "I jes go sit wit Cypher for while. Maybe we sit on couch togeter?" Sitting on the couch and holding his boy sounded fine. Illya figured it couldn't hurt anything. Besides, they could both have the benefit of the blanket and maybe he could go back to sleep if he was 'busy' holding Cypher.

Calysta almost started to tell Illya it wouldn't be the best idea for him to go cozying up to his son right now, but considering she had just gone right from Cypher to touching Illya it was a moot point. Her Chip was bound to get the cough now anyways. Great. The best she could do is keep Lohgan from getting exposed as much as possible. "Alright, best to clean up your face some and take the blanket to him," she said, "But if you do, you can't be holding Lohgan. You two would already be exposed and I don't want the baby sick."

"I tink ets better ef yah take care of Lohgan. Cypher es getting too big for yah anyway." Illya took himself to the bathroom and stared at his face. He didn't see anything terribly wrong. Shrugging he stepped back out of the bathroom and grabbed the blanket. "I jes get him eh?"

Her jaw worked slightly at his reply and the subsequent jerk of the blanket out of her hands. Her son was not too big for her to take care of and he was being strangely short with her. "I can take care of him just fine too," she replied turning toward the bathroom door to wash her hands, "He's in his room with a fever so it's best if you stay in there so the living room stays clean."

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

Illya had sat with Cypher in the room for a good thirty minutes after Helen had left and the boy's tea was mostly gone. "Yah take two more big drinks and den yah can be done." Cypher cried a little as he sipped at it, he didn't like the taste and he coughed a little before he took the next pathetic little sip. Illya finally decided to give the boy incentive. Nobody wanted to drink nasty tea and lay in bed. "Ok, den yah finish tea in two big drinks and I take yah wit meh tah feed dah animals." With that little prompt his boy quickly finished off the tea and Illya wrapped the two of them up in the blanket together and then snuck through the corridors into the animal bay. Kalizda would be too busy to hear anyway. Once he got to the bay Illya folded the blanket and he wrapped it around Cypher a few times. The boy almost looked like a mummy as he waddled around the animal bay and watched his dad feed the giant bird and then the bear. The dogs trotted around the two of them merrily and Cypher started to giggle when he got pushed into the bear and the bear pushed the dog over in return. Illya let Cypher play near Cin because he figured it was safe. It was all going fine until he turned around with the bag of chicken feed and he saw Kalizda. "Oh."

Calysta managed to get the night beast roast into the oven and then wiped down her hands thoroughly before picking up Lohgan who was sitting happily in her little bouncy chair for the time being. Her right green eyes followed Calysta around the room and she giggled when she had her toes tickled. "Be good for Papa while I go feed the animals, yeah?" Leaving Lohgan in Helen and Thomas' care, Calysta picked up one of the feed buckets from the closet and scooped up the scraps from the kitchen before making her way to the animal bay. When she arrived, Calysta swapped the bucket from her left hand to her right so she could open up the door naturally and slip inside without issue. "Alright chickens, time for dinner. You too Pecky-" Glancing up, she found that someone was already down in the animal bay. Two someones. Her Chip who had a guilty expression on his face when he turned to see her standing there and Cypher red-cheeks and half drowned in the heated blanket which was also dragging the dirty animal bay floor. Goose egg on his head or not, she would about set her Chip straight. "Illya, why in the Wilds do you have our sick and fevered son down here? You're supposed to be sitting with him and keeping him settled!"

There was no doubt about it, Kalizda was mad. Illya squinted his one good eye shut momentarily and then he let out a long breath. "He has blanket on and he's happy. Dere es no reason tah jes leave him sit in his room all day wit naughtin tah look forward to, but dat tea. Yah never drink et before and ets terrible. I tell him dat we see dah animals ef he finishes et." Holding the bag of chicken feed up Illya grumbled. "He nut do any of dah heavy lifting anyway. Cypher es jes wandering around and he's plenty warm."

"He's supposed to be resting," she replied, putting down the bucket and offering her hands out to Cypher, "If he gets a chill in his lungs from the cold air it could make it worse. And you're right. I've never had terrible tea, but I've had plenty of other worse things than that to motivate me to keep you both from getting horribly sick." She scooped up her son, dirty blanket and all with a heavy grunt from the effort. "He needs to go back to bed."

Illya set the bag of feed down and he marched over to Kalizda and held his arms out. "I carry him den and we finish feeding chickens and den I take him back." Cypher was wiggling as best he could in the blanket to get back to his dad. He wanted to finish feeding the chickens. Whining a little he looked at his mom and then shrieked loudly. Taking the boy from Kalizda Illya stared at Cyher. "Yah dun do dat. Et hurts meh head." He still had a massive headache and he felt impatient at best. "Kalizda, now yah have tah wash before yah go back tah Lohgan."

"That's not the point," she replied as Cypher began to wiggle, "He shouldn't be down here in the first place." His weight slinging and wiggling in her arms, almost made her drop him and she tried to cling to her heavy boy as best she could while he shrieked angrily before Illya just walked over and plucked him from her arms. Her boy leaving her arms while looking so sick more than irritated her, it made her slightly queasy, and she glared at Illya. "He needs to go back to bed now and I know what I have to do, Illya. I wouldn't be doing it in the first place if you had done what you said and stayed in bed. " Walking around him, she picked up the bag of feed in an effort to not give them an excuse to be there anymore. Cypher might be mad at her, and Illya too, but it was worth every mean word if it kept them from being sick.

Since it seemed that Kalizda was going to kick them out Illya took the dogs with him. They could be in the regular part of the ship and they had been following them everywhere anyway. "Elijah an Monster, come." The dogs nails clacked along the floor as they followed Illya along and panted. Once they got back to Cypher's room the boy insisted on getting up and playing with the dogs. Illya was starting to feel tired again and he sat down in the corner of the room and leaned against the wall to go to sleep.

Every now and then he would wake up to Cypher poking at the bruise on his head and Illya would push his little fingers away. The next time he woke up Cypher had dropped his spider, Monster down his shirt and he was trying to dig the spider back out by reaching into the neck of his dad's shirt. Despite the little naps that he was taking between the games that Cypher was playing he woke to find his headache was not improving. It had become a constant throbbing that he wasn't even able to ignore.

When evening finally came and the meal was done Illya took himself to the bedroom and laid out on the bed again. He didn't feel like taking a shower even if he needed it. He could hear Kalizda putting the kids to bed and Illya finally drug himself to the bathroom. When he got himself into the shower it felt good at first and then part way through he froze for a few seconds.

Illya frowned a little. Why was he in the shower? He was supposed to be helping with dinner. Even if he didn't feel hungry he was supposed to be helping with the cooking. Rushing through the shower Illya hurried into the room in his towel only to see that Kalizda was not getting ready to cook, she was getting ready for bed. He almost asked her if she was sick and then he thought that he remembered they'd already eaten dinner. Slowing down to a more natural pace he turned the bathroom light off an hung his towel up before he took himself over to the bed and then pushed the button for the light in their bedroom to go off. He liked having the one switch next to their bed, it made things easy to do at night without having to risk running into the bed.

There wasn't anymore 'work' at night and so Illya put his boxers on. It was one way to keep himself from feeling as excited in that way. He would sometimes wear the pajama pants too if Kalizda seemed to be having a hard time and that would make it easier to manage the fact that this 30 days felt like forever. Still, it would be worth it if she felt better in the end. That was all they could hope for.

Crawling into his side of the bed he laid down with a groan. "I tink I jes sleep tomorrow and Cypher jes stay wit meh." Hopefully the boy would be interested in sleeping a little more than he had today. Illya fell asleep quickly, but it was a restless sleep and he snored loudly off and on. There wasn't any change until about four in the morning. Illya turned his back to Kalizda and then flipped to his stomach before his legs started to tighten and then the rhythmic muscular contractions started. The vial of liquid slid down his throat and he choked on it for a moment before it went down. The seizure continued into the two minute mark and even after the first shot it continued. Momentarily the epileptic fit got more severe and then he appeared to stop, but it was only for a few seconds before he continued seizing.

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta came into the kitchen her face red from having dealt with Illya and sending him off to tend to Cypher. She found Helen at the counter top stirring cream into a cup of potent smelling tea for her son and a sudden wave of embarrassment came over when she thought back to what her initial belief was about Illya's current condition. "I'm sorry about that," she said quietly, "I don't suppose the Chip you were married to was as stubborn and thick skulled as mine?" It was a slight attempt a joke to alleviate the awkwardness she felt about having the woman aboard and tending to her family after such a show. "Our son can be just like him sometimes. Stubborn and wild to a fault on occasion."

The process of mixing the medicine was almost done and then the woman returned and Helen nodded carefully. "Everyone is different. My Chip was not quite that stubborn, but I don't imagine yours would havebe any less if he was going to come toe to toe with you." A slight smirk came to her face as she waited for Kalizda to gather her thoughts. She knew that the woman was a little flustered with the whole situation and she was trying to go along with the humor.

She chuckled slightly and went to reach for Lohgan before remembering she had been touching all over Cypher again. Her hands paused in mid air and she immediately turned to the sink and ran her hands under the automatic spout to wash off her hands, getting an ample amount of soap from the dispenser on the side. "Aye," she said, giving the woman a half smile, " Now, Illya and Cypher combine spells more trouble than anything else and I have a feeling my little girl here...will be just like him too.." Calysta finished up washing her hands and dried them off on a towel to pick up Lohgan. It was time for her bottle in a few minutes and the girl was more than ready for some food along with sometime with her Mam. Lohgan spied the older woman and held out her hands aiming for furry part of her coat while she, giggled. "Oh no you don't," Calysta said, slipping her fingers into Lohgan's grasp instead, "You'll latch on and never let go." Seeing her little girl's green eyes dance over the Pithian woman made Calysta curious and she tilted her head. "Did you have children, besides Terrence?" The man was her son, but he looked full Pithian and the product of another marriage as far as Calysta could tell.

Helen moved her shoulder slightly when she saw the baby reach for her. She liked children well enough, but not babies. They were typically a little too fussy and far too frightening to try and take care of. This council woman seemed to be just as curious about her as she was about them. Pausing for a moment she glanced at the baby and then to her mother. "I had one other."

Helen seemed to stiffen a little at the mention of another child, pulling away from Lohgan's grasping hands. The little girl contented herself to gnawing on Calysta's shoulder instead as she watched the Pithian woman with drooling grins. Helen's reaction made Calysta feel a spot of guilt and she leaned against the counter top, smoothing down Loghan's curly reddish brown hair in an effort to tame the bedhead her grandfather had allowed to build up over the course of the afternoon. '"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into something personal. I had just seen Terrence and he didn't appear to be Chippeqouti."

Even if the woman claimed with her lips that she was not trying to pry it didn't seem like it. She was still asking questions, but perhaps just rephrasing what she had originally intended to ask. "No, I never had children with him. He wanted children, but I wouldn't do it. There was too much to risk for the children to be half breed. They would have been hated by my people for him and his people would have hated them for me. They would have had no people to call their own and nowhere to live."

Calysta nodded in quiet understanding of the predicament. She knew what it was like to be hated for who you were and what you were. If things heaven like they were when she grew up, Cypher and Lohgan never have lived on Pyrta. Things had changed there though and it was largely due to the influence of the chips period some pockets of purest still remained, but it was not like it used to be. "I understand. It's different on Kaereal even from when I was young. Things are changing." It wasn't much consolation to offer but it was all she had to give the woman.

"Yes, some things change, but I don't think that the Chippequoti and Pithain will ever live together peacefully." As soon as she finished the mixture Helen handed the little jar to Kalizda. "I will go home now. I've done what I can and I'll be back in the morning to make sure it is effective."

Calysta looked to the woman, this time with confidence. "I think they could someday. There are already Pithians like you, ones that are extremists, and Chips like Illya, willing to look past things. It may not be in our lifetime, but I think its possible." She was disappointed to hear that Helen didn't want to stay but she couldn't force the woman to stay and talk either. "Aye, thank you. But just so you know you are welcome to dinner if you like. It would be the least I could do for your help today."

The woman was certainly an optimist and Helen couldn't' quite feel as optimistic about the future relations between the Chippequoti and Pithain people. At the end of the little speech and dinner offer she smiled carefully and packed the last of the things into her bag before stepping closer to the door. "You have enough with your boy being sick. Another time would be better."

She could hardly argue with the woman with Cypher being sick and Calysta shifted to allow her to pass, the somewhat strained smile catching on her eye. Was it because she had mentioned her children or was it because of something else? "Have a good night, and again thank you." She escorted the woman to the hatch and opened the door, allowing a chilled blast of wind to come blustering in. Somewhere behind her she could hear Rose complain about the sudden gust, but there was little to be done for it except to allow Helen the chance to walk down the ramp before closing it back. As the door hissed shut and sealed, Calysta made a mental note to de-ice the ramp in the morning along with firing up the engines for awhile. If she let too much ice collect it would damage the ship or prevent take off.

"C'mon little girl, lets go get dinner made," Calysta sighed. Walking back to the kitchen, she put Lohgan in her little seat and turned on the bouncing mechanism, gently bobbing her little girl and producing more than enough giggles to satisfy her while she began preparing dinner. It took little effort to chop up onions, carrots and mushrooms, which were the last of their stock from Jackobi, and put them into a pan alongside the Nyte beast roast they had frozen from Pyrta. It seemed like a good, warm dish all around and it allowed her time to go check on the animals while it cooked, since it appeared her husbands attempt at skiing had made her responsible for that tonight too. Once that was done, she would be sending a message to General Kirit.

*******


Calysta watched with a hard look as Illya carried a grumpy looking Cypher out of the animal bay, the red heated blanket tail dragging in a train behind them. Monster the dog and Elijah trotted behind them, stepping on the blanket as they went. Once they were gone, she shook her head and went about feeding the animals. First, it was the chickens, with Trouble giving her the clucky eye as she spread feed out for Fat Mama and all the peeping chicks. Dusting off her hands, she sealed the bag and poured up the meaty kibble for the bear along with Kesha. The real hunks of meat in the bucket from the kitchen went to Pecky who gave a plaintive cry and snapped up his food with a ruffle of feathers. She knew all of the animals wanted outside, but until she could be sure no one would hunt them or try to wrangle them, it wouldn't be possible.

Satisfied that the animals were fed, she gave Keysha a scratch between the ears and under her chin. The animal had been with them for nearly 8 years and she was a good cat, loyal if not stubborn while she was at it. Alot had happened during that time and Calysta didn't feel quite like the person she used to be. She had turned thirty this year and while her expected lifespan was much longer, the weight of the last years made it feel like she had lived those years within the span of a decade. "We've stuck together, yeah?" she said, as the cat purred from the attention. "Aren't you glad I stole you away?" Remembering how she had found Keysha sitting on Illya's head as he was flopped out in her bed brought a grin cutting through the more tiring thoughts, banishing other memories in her head. "I thought so."

Leaving the animals to enjoy their dinner, Calysa went back to the galley and washed her hands for the 4th time in the span of an hour and started feeding Lohgan her bottle. The girl sucked down the formula milk greedily and then looked up to her mother with expectant green eyes. They had been introducing her to some delicious things that weren't milk...like chocolate icing, whipped cream, and Dah had even snuck her things to chew on like yummy bits of bacon along with goopy sausage gravy. Now, she sat in her mother's arms waiting for her next taste bud adventure. When none was immediately forthcoming, Lohgan tossed her tiny fists back and kicked trying to tell her mother what should be happening. Where was her treat?

Calysta put her baby girl over her shoulder and tried patting her back, hoping the fussiness was just a nice, big burp. Rubbing and patting, she managed to get two or three gas bubbles to croak but Lohgan kept right on fussing. "What is it, hm? What's wrong?" She kicked and squealed angrily, demanding her nibbling treat and Calysta rubbed her temple. Apparently, she wasn't able to satisfy anyone today besides the Pithian council. Finally, she grabbed the abandoned pacifier in Lohgan's seat and dipped it into the honey cannister nearby before offering it to her. That sweet treat seemed to be enough to stop the tears and Calysta sighed in relief.

Once dinner was ready, Calysta fed Priscilla, her father and Rose in the galley and then delivered full plates to Cypher and Illya. Cypher sat up in his bed with wide eyes when she came in with big bowls of gravied meat. He wasn't allowed to eat in his room normally, and Mam fussed at him when he snuck food there, so why was she bringing it here? "You get to have food in your room tonight, okay? Only this one time, though." Her little boy sat up on his knees and held out his hands with a nod. "Can I sit wit Dah?" She helped him hold the bowl steady till it was cradled over his tiny drawing tray. "Aye, Dah is going to sit *right* here and eat with you."

She handed over the bowl to Illya and then went to go get her own dinner. By the time she poured up some for herself, Lohgan was fussing again and Calysta picked her up to rock her to sleep. The girl was probably just tired, and perhaps a little bone sore from a growth spurt. Cypher had been about this age when his first spurt hit him, and it was painful grumpiness for about a week in which he out grew most of his clothes. There was another possibility, and that was she was getting sick with the cough like her brother, despite her best efforts, and the only way to tell that was time.

By the time she had Lohgan calm and drifting off into sleep, her bowl of food had gone cold sitting on the countertop. "Well, at least you're sleeping," she sighed to Lohgan, "C'mon and lets get you and your brother into bed." Leaving the galley, she put her little girl in her crib, and made sure to cover up her feet. She wasn't wearing her little footie pajamas tonight, and it wouldn't do well get chilled. Calysta had the brief thought of trying to change her clothes, but if it was bone soreness that had Lohgan so upset it might make things unbearable for her. "G'night." Daisy was already flopped out lazily under the crib, ready to doze and guard at the same time. Aymos, on the other hand, had already trotted off to his cushion at the foot of their bed in the captains quarters. She checked on Cypher and found his bowl empty on the bedstand stacked inside Illya's. The boy himself was already flopped over on Dah's heated blanket, wrapped up like a plump catapillar with his thumb inside of his mouth. As long as he was sleeping, she wouldn't disturb him as it was likely he would wake up coughing anyways then come pile in their bed.

Calysta took the dishes and put them back into the kitchen sink. She really should have washed them, but instead, she let them sit in water till the morning. It wouldn't hurt for the night. Scarfing down a few bites of cold roast, she put the leftovers in the fridge and hauled herself to bed. Illya had taken to the shower without her, which was just as well given the strict 30 day hiatus on fun and the fact that he was probably much too sore. Giving the bathroom doorway a longing look, she sighed and got ready for bed, first stripping down and then taking her pill without water before applying the cream, the far more troublesome task when getting the angle right took time. When Illya came out of the shower, she was in her fuzzy pants pajamas and a tank top, pulling back the covers.

The large lump on his forehead had turned a horrendous, blackish purple while his eye was decidedly shut still. Seeing it brought back the thought of the hologram she had seen of him having his head blown apart in a single shot...how he screamed and bellowed when he had been blown up the first time too. Wincing, she shook her head and climbed into bed next to him. His attitude earlier still had her angry, though the feeling was overpowered by worry. A hit to the head like made her wonder if it would do like what happened last time. Kill memories and change his attitude. He mentioned something about just spending time with Cypher tomorrow, and she nodded a vague reply before pulling the blankets higher over her shoulder. "Okay."

It wasn't too much longer when he started to snore loudly and shift around as Calysta laid wide awake beside him. Her body might have been tired, but her brain was not. She doubted he would notice her leaving, however, she stayed in the bed with him anyway. There was something she could work on. Picking up her info pad, Calysta pecked out a quick message to Kirit and then pulled the images from the ship's linked security camera, capturing a still image of Helen. With that done, she attached it to message and sent it off.

General Kirit: This is an off the record inquiry. Please research and send any pertinent information regarding this woman. Name: Helen. Race: Pithian. She may have been on Federation records as a visitor to Qouti in the past 150 years.

Illya shifted again next to her, taking the blankets with him, and she heard him grumble in his sleep. Would he be having more dreams? A seizure? She couldn't be sure considering how he was acting earlier and the way he was sleeping. There wouldn't be much rest for her tonight if he was having a rough one. A heavy hand came swinging back around a flopped next to her with his next toss, his fingers popping against her rear and Calysta squeaked slightly before scooting further away from him in the bed, rubbing her bottom. If she hadn't been so worried about his brain taking a total relapse she thought of prodding him awake until he relinquished the covers, but she didn't want a fight so late.

She managed to drift off curled on her side, stirring every time he twitched until she heard the pitiful gagging sound that was all to familiar. Rolling out of bed to avoid getting hit, she immediately turned right back to the cabinet to grab the vial of medicine. He had started to seize on his stomach, making it hard to get to his face. His body twitched and flailed as she flipped him to his side with heavy grunt and forced the unstoppered vial between his lips, making him swallow the bitter liquid. Two minutes passed and he was still twitching so she grabbed one of their few remaining shots and sank it into is neck.

Usually the shot had him relaxing within a minute, but this time...it didn't work. Did she give him another? Two more minutes passed and he kept going without stopping. What was she supposed to do? Grabbing up the box of medicine, she readied another shot and administered it to him. Then a moment passed where he relaxed until lapsing into another round. Her hands were shaking by the third shot against the rising panic. Why wont he stop?!

"Illya...Illya!" her voice cracked and she tried to think. There was no Ehaui here, no Kaerelean help. Helen. She was familiar with Chip anatomy at least and Calysta couldn't haul a seizing 350lb man to see her, but maybe Helen could come to her. Her fingers smashed against the buttons on the com panel near the bed, as she searched through the radio frequencies until she found the one that was active. One Terrence used. Opening the channel she hoped they would hear her. "Hello? Hello? Terrence? Helen? If you're there, please listen. I need help, please bring any medicine have for seizures if you can hear me." Depressing the button, she hoped she might hear a reply and dove her hands into the box to retrieve another shot.

 

[Silence]

Terrence wouldn't have normally been getting up quite this early, but he heard a voice come over his radio and he sat up in his bed. It sounded like it was an emergency, just judging by the tone of the voice. Even his groggy state he started to pull his thick wool socks on and then he recognized the voice. There had to be something horribly wrong if he was getting called by this woman. However she got his radio frequency he didn't know. Most of the time it was secure and he didn't know what kind of technology she had on her ship that could hack the code. Pushing the button on his radio he answered. "I'll get Helen up. Who is seizing, how long and what have you done so far?" He just figured those were the first questions Helen would ask and he could get out to the ship faster with the first round of whatever they needed and then Helen would be following up behind him. These sort of emergencies he helped with as a kid and he knew that Helen would want him to take some kind of preliminary treatment.

When the radio beeped back, the ship automatically opened the frequency allowing Terrence's voice to come over the intercom. Someone had answered! Calysta reached over her flailing husband with a trembling hand and hit the microphone on their control panel, missing the button once before managing to smack it on the second try. "Terrence? It's Calysta...please. It's Illya...he has epilepsy and something is wrong.. .we need Helen..ah..." She clamped her eyes shut trying to focus on time frame...it had been four shots 2 minutes apart and maybe 3 minutes past. "Estimated time of continuous seizure is...15 minutes...he's had 1 vial and 4 shots of anti-seizure medication...The medicine isn't working and he won't stop."

While she talked Terrence got himself dressed the rest of the way and ran to Helen's room. "Illya is seizing, he's got epilepsy, been about 15 minutes and she's already given him a vial and 4 shots." Blurting the words without giving his mother hardly a chance to wake he started for the kitchen. She would be yelling some kind of instruction any minute now. Just as he thought she started to yell for him to put in different herbs and some mixing tools as well as one of her presses and a little heater. The heater was normally when she was using the mold and he grabbed all the mold sizes for her because he didn't know how big she'd want a pill if she was going to make one. Setting the bag near the door he yelled back to her. "Mom, it's all packed. Anything you want me to get or do before you get there?" Listening to her response he yelled back. "Ok." Stepping into his boots and slipping his coat on he started out the door while still putting his hat on and shoving his hands into his gloves. A few moments later he had his skis on and started out toward the ship with a little satchel. Getting on the radio he called Kalizda back. "On my way. I'll get you started with a few things when I get there and Helen will be behind me with some medicine."

Illya's hand thumped hard against the outside of her the thigh in the repeated ticks of his seizure as she leaned over. Terrence was coming...Helen was coming... but they would still be a few minutes out. Running a hand through her hair, Calysta gripped at her scalp and nodded to herself trying to think. "Okay, do I need to keep giving him the medication I have or wait?" She didnt know what would happen if she kept pumping him with the Ehaui medication or if it would react to whatever Helen might give him. He had never had so much before and she didnt know what she could do in the meantime.

Going uphill was always slower work, but Terrence was going as fast as he could with the satchel of starting medicine and he was almost breathless when he heard another message come across the radio. "No..." Gasping for breath he continued. "Just wait. I'll....be there...soon."

"Okay. Just hit the button on the hatch when you get here. It will open." Calysta bit her lip and climbed away from the bed and her seizing husband to kneel by his side. He looked awful with his head all bruised and his eyes rolled back, or at least the eye that she could see behind the swelling. Why would he stop seizing? It had to be something more than just his usual epilepsy. What if he was brain damaged again? What if he was dying and this is the last she would see of him? Her throat clenched shut and she dropped her head to the mattress, so she could collect herself. He didn't need a wife who was going to Panic or get upset. He needed a strong little bird who wasn't afraid two face what was happening in front of her. "I'm here..." she said to him, "I'm right here...its okay. I'm going to fix it...God please..." She hadn't prayed over a sick person at their bedside on instinct since she was a child and the beds ended up empty anyways.

Terrence tore his way through the snow and he stood outside the hatch of the ship within a few minutes of her direction pushing the button he wasted now time and tore his skis off while he wanted for the hatch to get down low enough that he could jump on it. He didn't even wait for it to touch the ground and he didn't bother closing it behind himself. For now his concern was to get to the patient and leave the ship accessible to Helen. Clomping through the halls he followed the odd sound that he assumed would be the seizing Chip. As soon as he stepped into the doorway of the room he rushed over to the side of the bed and beckoned to Kalizda. "I need you to stay at the door and help Helen when she comes in. I'm going to get him started on a heavy duty sedative. Helen said it might be the only thing to stop it." It was a drip and he had to get a needle into the man's arm. That was going to be the tricky part. It had to be in a vein that Illya wouldn't be hitting on something and hopefully not where he could bend his arm. There were thankfully plenty of vessels, but it took a few tries to catch one of the arms and then he had to sit on the arm and the Chip still managed to move it around. "Damn it...He's strong." Grumbling a little the Pithian found himself tempted to just hit the nerve spot, but it could make things worse. After several more minutes he got the arm to stay still long enough to get the drip started. About that time Helen was walking through the door and she looked at Kalizda. "Tell me all the treatments he has to prevent and stop seizures. I need to know before I do anything else besides helping stop the ones he's having."

Calysta heard the hatch open and the ramp to send with a small metallic whine. It had to be Terrence and she stood up from her spot to go meet the man only to find him walking through the door at the same time she reached it. He rushed to the bed and she let him look over her chip as he gave the orders to go wait for Helen at the door to help her get inside. There was nothing she could do besides follow what he instructed anyways. She couldn't hold Illya down against his own strength enough to help him start any sort of IV and there wasn't enough room for her to even try around the bed. Knowing her place at the current moment, she slipped off to the doorway to wait Helens arrival. It wasn't long after her son that the woman came stomping up the ramp, already asking questions as she walked towards the bedroom. At least she was direct because they didn't have any time to waste and Calista was able to contribute something to the situation that might be useful. "There is a liquid medication meant to be used first, a sort of sedative as far as I know, given by the Ehaui. Then there is also a shot form Kama which is more potent and only to be given after 2 minutes of continuous seizing. He has also had brain surgery twice now. Once when he was younger to insert a chip to prevent seizures and another after he was shot in the head to replace that one with a newer one."

As soon as Kalizda mentioned the chip used to prevent seizures Helen narrowed her eyes. "Would you know if the chip was functioning?" Stepping around the corner into the room she took one look at him and looked to Kalizda again. "You need to get a scan of his head. This ship is fancy enough I'd think you might have a scanner in the medical bay. Get one. Would you know if the chip shifted? Looks like he hit his head hard."

She paled at the suggestion that his chip could have shifted in his head. How in the Wilds would they fix something like that? Swallowing hard she led Helen to the bedroom trying not to panic. "I've never known it not to," she admitted, "But I have seen plenty of scans of his brain to know if it's shifted or not. The scanner we have may not be strong enough to detect the chip but it's worth a try. I'll go get it." With that, she was marching off to the small medical Bay aboard the ship. They haven't even used it yet and most of the equipment in there was brand new, though there wasn't much there was a scanner and she could use it hopefully. At least this way she was doing something useful and that was calming in itself, however she didn't know how they would go about fixing the chip if it had shifted without cutting into his head. All thoughts of worrying about hell and being alone with Illya we're gone as she entered the small room and rummaged through the drawers until she found a handheld scanner. Dashing back to her bedroom, she turned on the scanner allowing it to boot while she was on the way and didn't hesitate to start using it when she arrived. The only problem was he was thrashing too much for her to get a decent read. "We need to hold him still as possible the scanners not working because he's moving too much. The scan won't be accurate."

Helen looked at the bag with the drip and assessed how quickly it was being administered. They should be able to get him to stop, but he wouldn't necessarily be awake when he finally stopped seizing, if she could get him to stop. Terrence glanced at her and shrugged a little, but he stood by. When Kalizda returned the little woman tried to scan, but the Chip was still in the throws of his seizure. "Just wait a few more minutes and he should be stopping." Gradually the seizure began to subside enough that Helen nodded to Terrence and had him hold Illya's head still. "Now you can try again."

Finally, the seizures came to an end and while she should have felt some sort of relief, seeing him limp in the bed was almost as bad. Those few minutes seem to have lasted for hours, but now he was finally still and she raised her hand with the scanner clutched tightly in her fingers. She could see her own hand shaking, but it did not seem to affect the quality of the scan when she managed to get the little device to work. Slowly an image filled the screen, a picture of his brain coming into view. It was strange to see how much it had changed and yet how much it hadn't at the same time. The space where he had been so severely injured was filled again, though the matter was slightly different then the surrounding area, obviously speaking to the trauma it had been through. Near the center sat the small oblong shape of the chip nestled in his head, accompanied by a small ghost of a shape that looks similar slightly to the left. She couldn't be entirely sure, because there have been two chips place in his head and the shadow she was seeing could have been the mark left by the old one, but she was fairly sure that wasn't the case. A fact which made her stomach turn into a knot and then drop like lead to her toes. "The chip...it looks like it did shift," she said, her mouth suddenly dry as the Qouti desert.

It was obvious that the woman was worried and Helen couldn't blame her. This sort of seizure was dangerous and she was lucky that she wasn't out in the sky somewhere when it happened. When the result of the scan finally came up she listened to the woman and then nodded. "We'll get a good surgeon for you. Don't worry, he isn't one that hates the Chippequoti. You can send the scan to him and he'll tell us if we need to take him there or, if your medical bay will be sufficient."

She felt sick. Brain surgery? Here? Looking at her husband, she knew there wasnt any other choice and she sent the scans to her pad before working up a brief message to send to the specific doctor the woman described. There wasnt any other choice. She couldn't chance trying to take him home or back to demos to the other closest Ehaui doctor. She would have to trust the Pithians with Illya's life. No sooner had she informed Helen that the message was sent did her door open and her son dragging the heater blanket walked through. His cheeks were pink and he looked out of sorts as he ignore the other two and went straight for his mother's legs. "Mam." He whined, clinging to her legs. He coughed a few times and monster the dog, who have been riding happily on the end of the blanket dragging the floor licked at the back of his ear. Calysta bent down and hoisted her son up into her arms. "Hey little man. I know. You don't feel good. What if you slept in my big chair, hm?" If it had been any other time she would have put him in bed with his father, even if the chip was unconscious, but with the seizures she couldn't risk Cypher getting hit.

Groaning a little the surgeon turned over in his bed. It was still a good 3 hours before he normally got up. The message was listed as urgent and so he decided to look it over. Near the top he saw that there was a patient with seizures that had barely been stopped, but a brain implant had been shifted. That was serious. He couldn't and wouldn't want to try replacing an Ehaui implant, but he could take it out. In fact as he looked at the scan he agreed with the assessment that the woman gave. It appeared that the implant had moved and it could be making the epilepsy worse. In fact if it was firing to try and bring the seizures under control like it was supposed to it could be making it worse. It wouldn't be firing the electrical currents into the correct part of the brain. Potentially something like that could cause the misfire in his brain to be exponentially worse and if he was already prone to seizures the Chip would never make it back to the Ehaui. This was something that needed to be treated right away.

Perhaps if they could get it under control here it could be taken care of later on with the Ehaui. Then there was the question of where he would perform the surgery. If there was a scanning machine there that could send this sort of quality of image perhaps he could perform a simplified endoscopic procedure through the nose. It would be far less intrusive and he wouldn't have to deal with the Chip bones. The last thing he wanted to do was get any infection started near the man's brain. That would be as good as a death sentence. No one here knew enough about treating the bones to be effective. Helen was probably the closest, but even she wasn't that good with the bones. She knew herbs.

If they had to take him into the hospital to perform the procedure he would want to have an Ehaui on the way to help cover any sort of future issue. If the patient was as bad as they said he wouldn't be able to ask the patient anything and he'd have to rely on the council woman. Pulling a coat on he stopped by his wife's side of the bed and kissed her. "Got called for an emergency surgery." Kissing her gently on the head he heard her mumble a little and then he forwarded the message to his surgical team. They all needed to be on standby depending on what the woman chose to do.

At 4:30 in the morning it felt plenty cold. Wrapping a scarf around his face the doctor stepped out to his little skimmer and got the engines warming. He looked to his emergency surgery kit to be sure he had all the tools inside that he would need. It was good practice to restock the kit religiously after every call and this was one of the reasons why. He wasn't at the hospital when he got called and so he couldn't just step inside and grab a few things without taking an extra long time to get to the patient. This was why he restocked after every call. After this call he would stop at the hospital and get more tools for his kit again if he performed the surgery there.

Finally, the ship was warm enough that he could fly it across the several miles to the dock. He only knew which ship it was because it was rare they had visitors and it was rumored to be quite large. As he came near the dock he could see a massive ship outlined in black against the sky. The second sun would be rising soon and the sky was already turning a pale blue, but the ship was looming over the town and blocking quite a bit of the light at this time of day. Stopping the skimmer he grabbed his bag of emergency equipment and started toward gang plank.

The surgeon stepped on board the ship and he nodded to Kalizda and then Helen and Terrence before heading into the small medical bay. He had a few things to set up. So far as he'd been able to tell it could be done with a fairly simple procedure. After a moment he stepped out and asked Kalizda to come inside. "I need to talk to you about a few options. I can perform the surgery here on the ship and you can have him back in his bed in just a few hours. Otherwise I can take him to the hospital, but there are different risks involved with that. If I take him to the hospital I can do a surgery that would be a little more thorough. Here, I can take care of the immediate problem, but I won't know if there are other contributing factors."

Calysta let the surgeon step inside the ship, regarding the tall lean man with a nod of thanks before she waited for him to inspect the medical bay. He was quiet with his work, for which she was glad, because her voice would probably crack at the first word she uttered again. He looked around the medical bay then stepped out again, giving her the options he saw it. On the one hand, it was safer to do the surgery here in some ways. It was less exposure to hostile Pithians and he could be back in his bed in a few hours. However, there was no guarantee the problem would be solved permanently and if it wasn't they would just be playing in his brain all over again. He would be grumpy to wake up in a Pithian hospital, but if they were going to go diving into fix the implant, they needed to do it right the first time instead of making a ticking time bomb to strike again, next time at a worse moment. "If we are going into his head, we need to make sure it's done right and make it a one time thing if possible. I know that taking him to the hospital involved a risk of someone trying to hurt him further, but I this needs to be done properly. If you can guarantee your team on the surgery and attending staff are safe, I will take care of the rest."

Taking a deep breath he waited for a moment. "There are a few other things to know. First of all, Pithians are not as familiar with bone care for the Chippequoti, the healing process will be longer if I have to cut into his head. I can do it and Helen could help with the bones. If you're willing to take that risk. The procedure I could do here would not allow for me to observe other contributing factors, but I could remove the chip with a minimally invasive procedure and with observation over a few days and into the next few weeks we could know if there is anything else that needs to be done and then we could possibly conduct the surgery. If we take the minimally invasive procedure now and it is successful then, we won't have to cut into his skull. Before you make any choices I think you should know that is the other side." He'd given her a simplified version of what some physical options were, but he figured she wasn't familiar enough with medical procedures to know some of the other challenges. "One last thing before you make up your mind. There will always be a chance for infection and I think that the minimally invasive procedure would leave less chance for infection, or added inflammation. Both of those would be dangerous at this point. You need to know that as well before you make your choice. If you want a few minutes to think about it I can give you about 5 minutes before I need to get things moving to prepare a room at the hospital, or prepare this room."

The doctor gave her a moment to finish and then explained further to her what going to the hospital would entail. What was the right move here? She didn't have much time to think about it and she knew that minimally invasive would be better though if they removed the Chip it would make his epilepsy worse...then again..it was already worse. Infection in his bone would be the absolute worst in the long run, and she knew that just by remembering the metal in his bones and the horrors that the Wilds infection had produced. How could they deal with this and what would be best for him? Helen seemed more than capable of making medicine that might control his epilepsy for the time being until a new implant could be done by the Ehaui, and if not, she could always make a run to the tiny moon base on Demos to get whatever the Ehaui doctor there may have shipped in. Right now, the immediate problem was the chip itself. Biting her lip helped her keep the rising pressure in her head at bay and she nodded. "Fine, lets take out the Chip here and we'll deal with the results as needed. He can't keep it in either way and if there's less of a chance of infection, then that would be best without doubt."

With a little more information it seemed the woman changed her mind and the doctor nodded. "Alright then. I will have Helen start preparing some medication to help prevent seizures after the surgery. I will need to get one of my other staff on standby here and you can stay in the room if you like. For now I'll get the room sanitized and clean up a little for myself." Handing Kalizda a small jar and sponge he gave her a list of instructions. "Just wipe him down with that. Make sure you clean his head and face really good. Clean your hands first before you do that and then when you're done we'll get him moved into the room and we can start when my second staff person arrives and they've cleaned up as well. Should be about half hour or less. Terrence will make sure we keep a constant drip of the sedative. Can't have any chance of a seizure on the operating table. That is probably the greatest risk with any procedure we could do right now."

A jar and sponge were shoved into her hands as the doctor explained and she looked down a the items curiously, almost as if in a daze for a moment before it struck her that they expected her to help. There would be no banishment to another room while the surgery was taking place. No dread that a tall doctor in a white coat would come walking in with a pad in his hand and a grim expression to deliver bad news. If Illya died, at least would have tried, been there for him no matter what unlike his many surgeries before where she could do nothing. Useless. Her grip on the bottle tightened and she nodded before immediately going over to the sink and turning on the hot water. She waited until it was near scalding before using antibacterial soap to scrub at every inch of her skin, turning her fingers pink with the effort, then she rushed into the bedroom where Illya waited, slack jawed and bruised on the bed. The liquid in the jar smelled strong, probably a replacement for iodine of some kind, and she began blotting down Illya's sweaty face with a clean towel. Once that was done, she took the sponge, spotted it with the liquid and started wiping him down thoroughly, leaving no cranny uncleaned on his face.

As Kalizda was finishing cleaning Illya up the assistant stepped into the room. He had washed up and he had the bed from the medical bay with him. "We'll get him moved onto the bed and get him into surgery. I'll be giving him some anesthesia to be sure he doesn't experience any pain during the procedure." The procedure was one that the assistant always felt a bit uncomfortable watching, but they had learned to get over it. As soon as the assistant, Terrence, and Kalizda had Illya moved onto the bed the assistant placed a mask over Illya's face and then started wheeling him toward the medical bay. Once they were inside the doors were shut and the assistant took the mask off, sprayed some liquid up Illya's left nostril and placed a fixed scanner over his head to provide live feed. The doctor took just a moment to explain to himself to Kalizda before he started. "The right nostril would have been preferable, but that side of his face is swollen already and it would create complications. I'll just insert the tools up his left nostril and manipulate the chip out through the nostril."

Calysta stood by, ready to do whatever was needed of her to assist the doctor. She hoped that if she was needed, it might be only to hold him down if he seized or to administer some sort of medicine, because beyond that her hands were shaking to much to do precision work. This wasn't like flying, which she knew like the back of her hand, it was brain surgery and she was already sweating slightly at the idea of them sticking the tools up her husbands nose. It sounded like the process for Terran mummification if she was honest, but they were all set up and ready to go so she nodded to the doctor. "Just do the best you can, he's already been shot in the head once. Please," she said simply. It would be sickening to watch on some levels, but she could stand here and do this if she was needed. She would endure what she had to and when he was better...she might just strap him to the bed for a good long while away from anyone who might touch his head. The thought was an appealing one, though not serious as the situation they were in could have provided for.

With the sedative drip and the anesthesia administered they were about as ready as they could be. Taking the first small tool the doctor started to advance it up the left nasal cavity and he found the small barrier that he would have to slice. The first slice was minute and the second was just as small. "Ok, we've got a good start." Even if the process was simple, it was far more difficult than just slicing the head open. However, it was a better procedure to use in this case. After several minutes he took the next tool with a little tweezer type end on it and started to slide it up the nostril as well. By now a little blood started to run out Illya's nose and the doctor didn't even look away from the screen. Instead he gave an order to Kalizda. "Just take a little gauze and blot the blood out of the way. David, go ahead and put the suction device up there and clear out the excess fluid." The assistant took the small vacuum tube and started to suck out the extra blood. It was nearly an hour later and the doctor had cut the chip into three pieces and he slowly worked on extracting them one at a time. The last piece was a little more difficult, but so far the surgery had been a success. They were getting close to running out of time for the anesthesia though. "Check his vitals. Still steady?"

As the doctor worked, her chest began to ache slightly and she realized, she was holding her breath. For how long, she had no idea, but it was beginning to hurt from the need for air. A temptation to gasp in another breath and hold it in circled in her head, but she knew a sudden sound might disturb the doctor as he worked which was the last thing anyone needed. Slowly, she let air trickle into her lungs until she had a full breath and then let it out just as painstakingly slow to avoid any sound. The affect was slightly dizzying but she when the doctor turned to her, mentioning the gauze, she stepped forward and picked up a piece of clean material before wiping away the blood with gentle dabs. The tools could be seen slipping up into his brain, appearing on the monitor and she started holding her breath again, every now and then taking a long, painful draw. It was hard to watch, particularly with the blood and the sucking sounds coming from the vaccuum wielded by the assistant. By the time it was over, she was sweating from the pure effort of breathing and being under the pressure of assistant in the operation. She waited for the Assistant to give the word that his vitals were good and they could get out of his head before anymore damage was done. For a moment, her eyes wandered to the pieces of the implant which had been pulled from his head. There was a bit of sack like slime around it accompanied by chunky bits of dried blood. The sight caused the image of his head shattering again she swallowed hard. "What's next?" She asked, her voice hoarse after an hour of silence.

The last bit of the chip finally came loose and the doctor let out a sigh of relief. So far the patient was still stable and all that he had to do was simply put a little more spray up the nostril to rinse and clean it and then make sure that the patient remained calm and on his back for about 4-6 hours after the surgery. "We get him back to his bed, keep him calm, quiet and in the bed for about 4-6 hours and then he can get up and walk around." Already he could see there was a little bit of a black eye starting on the left side, but it wasn't anything severe. It would fade in about 2-3 days. "If there are no other issues he should be fully recovered in 2 weeks. For 1 week just be sure he doesn't bend over, no straining on the toilet, no blowing his nose, no sneezing and he needs to try not to cough."

Calysta met the doctors gaze and listened carefully before repeating back the instructions. "Bed for the next 6 hours, then full recovery in 2 weeks, week 1 with no bending, straining, sneezing, coughing or nose blowing." What she realized she was listing was a giant list of can'ts that would drive her Chip to a new level of grumpiness along with the fact that he had been exposed to Chip Cough. Great. "I got it. I suppose we'll be needing alot of tea though, as he's been around Cypher who has Chip Cough," she sighed, looking to Helen, "If it's possible to get more, I'd be grateful and if you show me how to make it, I would gladly do it so you wouldn't have to."

Helen had just finished making everything that the man would need and she met Kalizda's gaze. "I've already got medicine for him to prevent the seizures. It is not a cure, but almost all the epileptics that I've treated have never had another seizure while on the medicine, or they have had a great decrease in seizures and less severity. Since he had surgery I also prepared a mix of tea that should last 2 weeks. You will need to mix up the medicine for his chest to help prevent the coughing as well. It will act as a secondary prevention after the tea starts to wear off."

"Oh." It was about all she could manage to say. The woman was efficient, prepared and had thought of what he would need before hand good as any Ehaui or Kaerelean doctor she knew. Her eyes traveled from the doctor, to the assistance and then to the medicine woman and she nodded. "Thank you both for helping us." It was the truth and her sincerity could be hear ringing through her dry throat. About that time, she heard Lohgan begin crying somewhere in the bedroom and she could feel the entire night coming down on her in that singular moment. Letting her girl cry for a moment, she turned back to Helen and the doctor. "What is it I owe for the house call?"

The doctor and Helen both looked at her and then the woman spoke. "We will decide the cost of the services later. Right now we'd all like to get some sleep and you have a long day ahead of you." Carefully the assistant and the doctor started to clean up the room while Terrence took Illya back to the bedroom. Helen walked with Kalizda and Terrence back to the bedroom and explained the pills. "You will give him the green one in the morning and he will need to chew it. Then the purple one in the evening and he will swallow that on. Those are for the seizures. You will know if it is effective for him within the first month. Often if it will fail as an effective medication it will be around 25 days that it starts to fail." With that she helped move Illya back into the bed and let Kalizda take over from there. "I'm going to get some rest and be sure to send me a message if you need anything or have questions." Pushing a small card with a number on it she started toward the door with a slow shuffle.

Nodding almost vacantly, Calysta took the offered medicines and repeated back the instructions again. "Green morning...needs to be chewed...then purple in the evening...swallowed for seizures. One month failure signs." As Illya was placed back on the bed, still out cold from the procedure, she also took the offered card and watched the others go. Lohgan was crying non-stop and Calysta turned to the crib to find the girl was in need of a change. "C'mon little girl, lets get that fixed," She laid Lohgan out on the chair and quickly changed out the diaper before wiping her down and then picking her back up again to go toward the sink. The girl was in need of a bath anyways. While Illya was out cold, she ran the sink full of warm water and began soapng Lohgan's delicate skin in oils, cleaning her beautiful red curl and tickling at her toes to make her laugh. Lohgan didn't care for water as much as Cypher did, but the bath wasn't total torture, especially when she figured out passing gas meant neat little bubble burbled up from the water. "Oh you little stinker," Calysta said tiredly. Her eyes didn't want to stay open but soon Cypher would be in need for more tea and the animal bay would need scrubbing. She would also have to make breakfasts, lunches and make sure Illya was alright too. While Lohgan made toot bubbles in the bath, Calysta sank to the lidded toilet and put her face in her hands biting back tears of stress and exhaustion.

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

The small medical team cleaned up the medical bay and left. None of them wanted to leave her with all the cleaning and it didn't take them long to get it done. When the doctor returned to the hospital he wrote out a prescription for a five day supply of pain medication and some nasal sprays to keep the Chip from getting a bloody nose and to help him irrigate his nose without having to blow it. Writing down some basic instructions he sent the assistant back over with the medicine by mid morning. It should be time for the first dose of the pain medication anyway.

Illya was barely awake when Kalizda came into the room with some pills for him. He wasn't sure what they were for, but he was hoping they would help with his headache. So far as he knew he'd slept in far later than he intended and he somehow felt worse. His whole body ached and he knew that skiing had been rough, but he didn't think it was that bad. Then his head throbbed even more and his face hurt. Gingerly reaching up he touched the left side of his nose and his eyes watered even if he could only open one of them. "Oh...dat hurts." He didn't remember hitting his nose on anything. Kalizda was pulling his hand away from his face and telling him to lay back in bed. Moaning a little bit he flopped his head back on the pillow and instantly regretted that. "Ugh...meh head hurts." When she said something about a surgery he looked at her with a genuinely shocked expression. How did he have a surgery and not even know about it? "Oh..." Settling into the bed a little more he rested a hand gingerly over his left eye and tried not to look at anything for the moment. The motion of just trying to sit up, flopping back into the bed and then trying to focus long enough to take the medicine had him feeling sick.

When the room fell silent he drifted off to sleep again until nearly lunch time. Illya woke with his head still throbbing and he gingerly turned his head to see that Kalizda was still sitting in the room staring at him. He hadn't really had a chance to process what she said earlier and he tried to sit up again. "I jes need tah use dah batroom." Protesting when she pushed him back in the bed he frowned.

Apparently he was on doctors orders to be in bed for 6 hours on his back. "Why do I lay here? What doctor see meh?" This time he was genuinely shocked and he laid in the bed silent for a long moment. "Yah sure dats what happened?" Not that he thought she would joke or lie about something like that, but it sounded so extreme. His head hurt, but he assumed all the pain and aches were from that marvelous skiiing accident. It did a whole lot more than bruise him. He had a surgery to remove the Chip and that would be why his headache got worse, his stomach tumbled and rolled, he was tired out and his nose hurt. How they got to his brain through his nose wasn't anything he wanted to know about. It made him want to protect his nose at the moment because it really hurt.

Illya closed his eyes and dozed off for a few minutes even though it felt like it should have been hours. Kalizda was still sitting in the room and he groaned. "I get up now?" When she answered he still had half an hour to go he groaned. "Et was more den 10 minutes." No matter his protesting it had only been 10 minutes and this time he couldn't fall asleep again so he stared at the ceiling for a long three minutes before he sighed. "I get up now?"

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The request was an odd one, but Clark knew he could find the information. Searching the records for a Pithian made him wonder how Kirit ever heard of them. Pithians had stuck to themselves for quite some time and they hadn't made a move that he'd heard about through his little loops. He heard a great many things, but this was not one. Taking the name home with him, he started a small search first on the local system that was far safer to run.

Whoever it was had changed their name, they were dead, or they were deep and that meant after hours of the basic searching he was going to have to dig a little deeper. There was always a certain risk involved with that. Sometimes it took hours to get results and sometimes days. This one took a few days before he got any kind of file back and he only scanned it see that the picture and name were still the same. It was unusual that someone with that kind of reputation wouldn't have changed their name, but they were hard to find. Someone that the Federation didn't take a second look at, but if they were still alive the Federation would know about them soon enough. Nobody accessed these kind of records without reason.

Taking the file back to Kirit the Tannas handed it to him. "Hope you had good reason for this one. You had me find the name of a doctor that the Federation forcefully recruited to help kill Chippequoti in the labs during the war. There's no telling what happened. She simply disappeared. If she's still alive the Federation will be looking for her. This kind of access gets flagged and my contact was nervous. I'd say whoever was asking you about her better get clear. File doesn't say much about where she stood during the war. Just that she was forcefully recruited, developed highly successful drugs that killed hundreds of Chippequoti, escaped and was never found again. Who knows if she wasn't decoy to give away my contacts. Maybe I sound paranoid, but I know how the Federation works. You never know who you can trust. Her file is too small for me to think that she'd be anything besides an operative they're still trying to keep under covers."

Clark clenched his jaw and then started off again. "I hope you never ask me for that kind of research again. Better know the risks next time. My contact is mad and there is no telling what they'll do next time I ask for that kind of information."

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

It had been days of mostly soft foods and Illya was starting to feel hungry. He wasn't bed bound, but he wasn't really allowed to go anywhere, but the immediate area of the ship and Kalizda didn't want him outside either. His chest had been hurting a little, but he wasn't allowed to cough and so instead Kalizda was filling him with tea, soup, and other light, nourishing meals. It was about time he had real food to eat.

Getting off the couch Illya wandered toward the kitchen and cautiously peered inside. She wasn't there and this was his one chance to get some real food. Just as he started to sneak into the kitchen he saw Thomas was already in there and he didn't feel like he could wait any longer. "Thomas, I jes need some real food. Kalizda makes good soup, but I dun get enough solid food when she's worried about meh. Feel like I am going tah get sick wit hunger soon." The man gave him a somewhat apologetic look and Illya figured that Thomas must have known what he was getting to eat lately.

Thomas had been eating leftovers and there wasn't much left in the fridge except for some tacos that he offered. As desperate as Illya felt anything solid sounded good. Piling all the meat and beans into a tortilla Illya didn't care if it was almost overflowing and cold. He knew he didn't have long till Kalizda would come back through. He was almost done when he heard her foot steps coming toward the kitchen. Illya shoved the last big bite in his mouth and swallowed it whole. It felt like the clump of food got stock part way down his track so he grabbed a glass for some water. When she stepped into the kitchen he was already filling his glass and it looked natural, not rushed. At least he got away with it. This was only day 3 of his week of heavy restrictions, but he couldn't last on the diet even one day more.

By the time the evening meal came around Illya felt hungry again and he ate as much of the soup as he could before he was stuffed. It still wasn't going to stick with him very long. Perhaps, the tacos sure stuck with him. Elijah, the dog knew it.

Illya's head was hurting again and he was ready to go to bed early. Kalizda was usually getting to bed about the same time he was. The kids would go down and then Illya would go to sleep and Kalizda was probably just exhausted if she was only a few minutes behind him. When she crawled into the bed with him Illya gingerly moved a little closer and he wrapped one arm around her waist. His head throbbed with each heartbeat, but he was sure he could still sleep. She barely laid down and then reminded him to take the purple pill. Illya sat up and took the pill from his nightstand and the glass of water. Swallowing the pill he washed it down with water and then set the cup on the nightstand once more before turning the light out and laying down next to Kalizda again.

He was just starting to relax when he felt the inevitable gas sneaking down his intestinal track. They had been primarily silent, but deadly after he had the taco earlier in the day. Since he wasn't allowed to bend over Kalizda even restricted how he slept and wouldn't let him duck his head at night, so he had his head well above the covers, but she was a bit closer. If he held still a bit longer it may have a chance to dissipate before she smelled it. There wasn't going to be any such luck. Kalizda shifted a little and then he heard her sniff a little. She didn't have to say anything he knew it stank and she just happened to be unlucky and moved first. Despite the fact that he got a little whiff of it too he couldn't help himself and started laughing. "I'm sorreh, yah moved first."

 

[aryamajor]

With Illya back in the bed and the children up, the day began all over again. While her Chip was out cold, Cypher woke from his sleep in the chair groaning and coughing as he tried to climb in bed with his Dah. Calysta had to put the freshly bathed Lohgan down in her crib and grab her son who was already jostling around her father’s head as he climb. “Nope…nope…sorry little man…” Being taken of the bed didn’t suit her son’s mood and he kicked and screamed out angrily at having been removed. All he wanted was to snuggle up with his dad and his mother wouldn’t let him. “No! no! no! no!” His heavy foot connected against her already bruised hip though and Calysta’s mouth set as she popped the little leg with an attention getting smack of her fingers. “I said no Cypher,” she said firmly.
That set him to crying pitiful wails and then into a coughing fit where he went limp in her arms, the sight of which made her feel guilty for having to spank him when he was sick. “C’mere, little man,” she sighed tiredly as she hitched him up higher on her hip. She put his head down on her shoulder though he was tangled up in the heated blanket and sat down in the chair with him. “Just cry it out, hmm?” The more he cried the more he coughed making him more miserable. Finally, she had to get up and go to the kitchen to make him some breakfast and tea. He clung to her neck the entire time she was fumbling with sippy cups, her fingers sending lids and their matches all over the place.

“Caly?”

Thomas came in with his warm pajamas on and rubbing at his scruffy beard as the cups scattered all over the floor. It was obvious there was something wrong, the look written all over his daughters face made it clear. Immediately, he went to picking up the spilled drinkware and tossing them into the sink, wincing at the sound of his grandson’s cough. “What’s wrong, Caly?” he asked.

“Nothing dad,” she said quickly, “Do you mind grabbing one of those cups and filling with the tea in the maker. Please?”

Thomas knew his daughter well enough to know that ‘nothing’ always meant something, but it rarely paid off to pry with her. If anything it would make her more upset. Rather than asking he reached over and filled up a bright orange sippy cup with the potent smelling tea, then pointed to the honey. “Honey and cream too,” she affirmed, shifting her grip on Cypher.

He did as she asked then screwed the lid on before offering it to her. “And Dad, do you mind watching Lohgan for me today? I’m still trying to avoid Cypher getting her sick.

“Of course, I’ll come get her,” he replied. As she walked out the kitchen door, he brushed his and over Calysta’s cheek and she pulled away slightly. He used to do that when she was small and sickly, something that still bothered her even when she was healthy. “I’m not sick, I promise dad.”
Thomas sighed and shook his head at his daughter, stubborn as ever. If she kept up whatever was going on, she would be.

Calysta made her way to the bedroom and half flopped in the chair with Cypher in her arms as she tried to coax him into drinking something. He was too tired to care much about what was in his cup this time an stuck the lip into his mouth, sucking on it as a replacement for his thumb for awhile. Eventually, he stopped sucking on the tea and his eyes closed into sleep just in time for Illya to be waking up from the anesthesia.

She wobbled to her feet, trying to balance Cypher in her arms and hauled him to his room to lay him on the bed, the heated blanket trailing behind. I should have just bought two of those things. An impending battle would be ahead on who got the blanket and she knew Illya would give it to Cypher if he had to.
Once Cypher was laying down, she went back into the kitchen and prepared the same tea for her soon to be awake Chip along with his two pills before returning to the bedroom to find him awake. His heavy hand was already lifting up to press on his face. “No,” she sighed, putting down the tray of medicine and grabbing his hand, “Don’t touch your face. It’s swollen and you don’t want an infection.” He flopped back on the pillows, bouncing his head and Calysta dug her nails into his hand on pure instinct. “You can’t flop around like that either. You had surgery…brain surgery. They had to take out your implant. Here.” She offered over the tea and the medicine for him to take, but could only stare at her in what she could only guess was shock for a few moments before he reached out for the pills.

Luckily when he had the medicine down he drifted off to sleep quickly and she could sit back in the chair for just a few minutes. It was all of 30 minutes into what would be a small nap when her bedroom door was knocked upon and her father cracked the door open carrying a plate of eggs and bacon. “Brought you some breakfast, Caly,” he whispered. He couldn’t help but steal a glance at Illya passed out on the bed and he grimaced a bit. The man looked like he’d hit a wall and the wall won this time. “What’s wrong with Illya.”

Calysta took the plate and tried to nibble on some of the bacon though her appetite was gone. “Nothing dad. It’s just seizures. Just watch after Lohgan for me, yeah?” she replied in Kaerelean. Thomas frowned at being denied an answer but didn’t argue as he plucked the girl from the crib. She started laughing and tugging on her Papa’s beard on the way out of the door…only to get worked up enough to let out a hollow little cough. Great.

The hours passed and Calysta caught up on the reports. At one point Illya thought to get up and try for the bath room only to be confused as to why she was shoving him back down. “No, you’re on strict bedrest for 6 hours after your surgery…yes…you had surgery and I helped them remove the implant from your brain…now will you please lay down?”

Her 3rd attempt at a nap was interrupted by Illya asking if it was time to get up and she sighed without opening her eyes. “No, you have 30 more minutes.”
Some how this was translated into 10 minutes and he asked again. “No, it hasn’t even been 5 minutes,” she informed him. Again and again he asked until finally he had been in the bed a total of 6 hours, well into the safe zone. “You can get up now,” she said in relief, “No lifting heavy objects, or bending over at all, no straining on the toilet or anything that requires pressure.”It felt like a relief when he was able to get up and move, but she knew she would have to keep a careful eye on him the entire time.

*********

The first week was constant movement. Calysta got up in the mornings, made the children their breakfast and tea before she brought Illya’s medicines along with his tea and an easy to digest breakfast of warm cinnamon porridge. Next, she did the regular maintenance on the ship, which included de-icing the cameras outside and firing up the engines to clear any build up on the hull as well as the exhaust interior. She cleaned and scrubbed every inch of Cypher’s room, finding all manner of things including his ‘collection’ of old candy wrappers under his mattress. “Cypher…why do you keep these?” she asked him with a tired look. “They’re pretty and Monster likes dem.” Which Monster he didn’t specify and she shook her head. “Don’t feed these to the dog or the spider and do not hide these in here anymore, do you understand?” Her little boy nodded, still wrapped up in his pilfered heated blanket and gave a crackling cough. “Yes Mam.”

Loghan was sick too and her happy little girl had gone from a joy to an absolute grump over night. Every time she coughed the tiniest bit it scared her and she started to wail with thick tears of unhappiness rolling down her face. She turned her nose up at the tea too, refused to drink it unless it was mostly milk and a little bit of herb. Her father was helping her, but between Cypher, Illya, and Lohgan she was tired.

On the 4th day, she walked down to the animal bay and the stench hit her like a slap to the face. “Uhg, you guys have got to go outside. Even for awhile. She took a bale of bright red twine and made a fat ribbon for each animal so anyone in the area might know that the creature was owned by someone and not hunting game, then went out into the snow to prepare what would be a small pen right outside the ramp. She shoveled snow and piled into a circular wall nearly to her armpits around the ramp, enclosing them in. It wouldn’t take much to jump it but it would deter some of the running off ideas maybe. Next, she took the lead and chain Illy had used for Pecky and sank it into the ground while the opposite end was still linked to the bird. At least he wouldn’t fly off without some sort effort.

With all the animals tagged with red bows, including the bird which had earned her a few pockmarks missing from her hands, she released the gate let them into their new out door paddock. Cin was so happy to be outside he ran straight for the back of the snow wall…and kept right on going. Snow exploded everywhere as the bear barreled right through, making a sizeable hole, and kept right on running. Of course, the dogs were more than ready to run along side the bear and even Keysha slipped out, lumbering off into the open tundra. Fighting a scream, Calysta ran after the bear and the dogs calling to them. “Elijah! Daisy! Aymos! Come! Cin!” Soon it became evident that only Aymos and Daisy would return, one being loyal and the other lazy. “I’m going to make a fur rug out of you,” she grumbled an empty threat to the bear, “A nice fur coat too!”

She went back to the ship hoping that the animals would return and mucking out the animal bay in the mean time. The chicken coop was by far the worst and she had to put the chickens in the dog pen before moving the eggs and hosing it out completely to put in fresh bedding. By the time she was done, she was hot, sweaty and the animals came filtering in. First it was Elijah and Monster, then Yuija and Merri, along with Lady who all were wearing shit-eating grins and smelled of wet dog. “Enjoy yourselves?” Next, Keysha came loping in, shaking off all the chunks of ice from her fur and flopping out in her warm bed expecting to be fed, and then Cin. That dumb bear toddled up the ramp chortling and waddled over to plop down next to his food bowl. “I ought to hose all of you down for good measure,” she remarked. As it happened, she was too tired to do much of anything but wash all of the dogs, who went everywhere, bring in Pecky, and then go help cook dinner.

On the 7th day she made a Terran soup called gumbo and it was a nice thick one she had yet to try up until that point. The spices would help with the coughing and it would still be gentle enough on Illya’s stomach if she omitted the beans and corn. Bringing a bowl to Illya, she sat down in her chair and looked her Chip over. He was still looking rough, but nothing had happened yet. Whatever was in the medicine that Helen had given him was working for now. Even his Chip cough had been lighter. He was giving her this sad sort of look when he realized it was soup again and she met his eyes with determination. “You have one more day and then you can eat different. You couldn’t have anything that would make you poop a lot. Doctors orders.” It was a bit of a stretch, but it was safer that way. After all the Ehaui had to fib a bit all of the time. When dinner was finished she took up the bowls and put the children to bed while her father washed the dishes. Her father had asked her over and over if she was fine, to which she firmly replied that she was. There wasn’t a choice in that matter.

On her way back to the bedroom, she heard her pad chime and picked up it up to see an encrypted message waiting for her. Checking the hallway, she leaned against the wall to read a report from Kirit detailing what could be found on the woman Helen. What was in the file wasn’t surprising so much as disturbing. She had been forcefully recruited to work on Chippeqouti, killing who knew how many, including by poison. She might have even been responsible for the poison that killed Lahna. Could she still be an operative like Kirit suggested? It was a prospect that made her empty stomach churn worse than before, knowing that she had been giving the children and Illya medicine…and promised to take her to the Alliance and…yet. No one was sick beyond the expected. In fact she had healed Illya and helped them with the locals. If she was forcefully recruited, there was no telling what they had done to make her submit. Her mind went back to their conversation in the kitchen. She had just one other child. Had. That thought sobered her some and she wiped at her eyes before leaning back in the chair. If anyone had as much right to end the Federation, it was Helen along with Illya and the Terrans too. So many lives destroyed, and over what? She had asked herself that question over and over, and even asked Clark with no answer. No, Helen was not an enemy here, at least she didn’t think so. Still it would be better to watch her closely though and not to mention it to Illya at this point.

Running a hand through her hair, she sighed trying not to look like something was wrong and went to bed with Illya. They were still on hiatus from sex and for the first time in her life she didn’t feel like having any. She just wanted to curl up and go to sleep with Illya close so she would know if there were any problems through the night. Just as she started to drift off something terrible happened. The smell of rotting something hit her nose and she sniffed the air without opening her eyes. Not that she would want to open her eyes…they were watering simply from the stench. Was that…beans?
She could feel Illya next to her and then his soft, not-exactly-sorry apology whispered in her ears. “Uhg…” she groaned with a small snort of a laugh, “What did you eat…never mind..I don’t want to know…” At least he was almost past the 1 week mark and it wasn’t so bad…except for the horrendous gas. “Aim the other way, will you?” she chuckled slightly.

********

Calysta kept a close eye on Illya and both of the children, bringing them all their prescribed medicines and keeping in mind what she knew about Helen. In some ways, she knew she was being overprotective. But how could she not be? Sometimes her mind would drift over things she’d seen. Every cough and every sneeze was like an alarm bell in her head again and she stayed on constant alert. It didn’t make anyone very happy on the ship, but sat least soup wasn’t on the menu for a while now and there were only 12 or so more days to go before Illya’s seizure medication might prove a failure. There were a few reports from Kaereal that required her attention, mostly ones on the Chips and their progress, along with making lesson plans for Cypher. It would time for him to really start learning soon and that would be mean lots of time with Papa and Mam.

She had turned her attention to documenting, or attempting to document the agreement with the Pithians when her father stopped by to mention something about dinner. “I’ll be there,” she nodded back slowly while she kept reading.

It had taken all day to prepare it but dinner was almost ready when Calysta waved him off and her father returned to the kitchen. Thomas was just pulling the pan of roasted yams topped with a brown sugar crumble out of the secondary oven, filling the air with a sweet and savory scent. With a long sniff he looked over the delicious pile of sweet potatoes, satisfied that they had roasted and would perfect. "Priscilla, do you mind put in the other rack of green beans...the ones with the bacon chopped?" The Terran woman didn't hesitate to slide out of her seat and grab the pan, replacing the buttered and seasoned green beans in the oven as Thomas drifted over to the table with the potatoes. It may have been the last of their Terran supplies but by God they were going to have a good Thanksgiving. The last one, Illya had been laid up and the time before that he had been on a mission, then before that both his daughter and son in law had been away on missions. But not this year. Not this one. They were trapped on a beautiful snowy planet all living in the same place and he was going to make the most of it. No sooner had he put down the hot pan did he hear the familiar thumping steps of his son in law coming down the corridor before he appeared in the door way. "Followed your nose, eh?" Thomas chuckled.

There was a good smell going through the whole ship. Even if he'd made it to the two week mark Illya was going to try and play it safe. He was going to stay on the ship for a few extra days and then he could have a good argument to go back outside and train the Pithians/let them train him to ski. The sooner he could get this over with the sooner they could move onto another planet that was more to his liking. Grabbing his cup he figured he could fill it with some water and then get a cup for Kalizda too. She was probably getting thirsty. He hadn't seen her drink anything today and he knew she was stressed. Somebody had to watch out for her. As he got closer to the kitchen he could smell the food and he wondered how it was that she still had energy to cook. He was supposed to be getting something started in the oven. Instead he saw Thomas and Priscilla in the kitchen. By now his right eye was only a little bit black and he could open it most of the way. "Eh, I tink I was cooking food. What yah make?"

Thomas raised a brow at Illya and then exchanged a glance with Priscilla before smiling. It didn't surprise him that the man didn't remember Thanksgiving, having only been able to do it intermittently through the years with them, plus he was never a fan of Terran holidays. "Today is Thanksgiving," he informed the Chip, "The Terran holiday. It marks the beginning of the holiday season back on Earth. So tonight, we're feasting and we're going to have Terran food. I bought a turkey...well...an alien turkey on Jackobi...it's some sort of bird anyways. With all of the fixings, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and casseroles."

Somehow it seemed that he was missing something. Thomas was giving him a look and then it was all explained by the Turkey. "Oooh yes!" Illya brightened some. "I remember dis bird. Et es tradition of yah home tah summon dah spirit of dah bird." It would be fun to see if he could twist the story some and get a little reaction from Thomas. "I help yah."

Thomas snorted slightly and shook his head, knowing at least enough when Illya was trying to pull a fast one on him. "If I remember right, that was one of your traditions," he quipped back with a knowing grin, "It's been awhile since you've invoked the spirit of the bird, so maybe you forgot, huh?" Priscilla watched the exchange growing more and more confused by the moment until she put down her coffee mug and looked to the both of them. "Ah, not to be rude, but is this Thanksgiving or a seance we're talking about now?"

It seemed that Thomas was taking it all in stride and he wasn't as much fun to tease when he was like that, but an even better opportunity arose. Priscilla was entirely clueless and she promptly presented herself as a victim. Illya grinned broadly and gave Thomas a knowing look before he turned to speak to Priscilla. "Et es always dis way. He cooks and dah spirit of dah bird speaks to meh. I teach meh son tah

The Terran woman saw the look on the Chips face, and it was one she'd seen before when he was about to get Harry on something. He was a wily one for sure, but she couldn't help but feel slightly confused over what he was actually saying. "So, you're saying that he'-she pointed to Thomas was also sporting a cheshire grin- "Cooks a turkey and you listen to it talk." Thomas chuckled as if it were obvious and nodded. "That's about the way of it, Miss. Priscilla. You should see what'll say, sometimes it brings him good fortune and judging by those two shiner's he's had, we'd probably best hope the summoning goes well." At this point, the former first lady is staring at them, mouth slightly agape in an incredulous gaze and she opened and shut her mouth a few times before shaking her heard. "Is it some sort of Chip tradition?"

Of course Thomas had to poke his fun while he could and Illya rolled his eyes. At least the left eye could roll well and the right one was still a little slow. However, Thomas did a good job of selling the story and Illya just had to act it out from here on. It would be too much to start the gobbling just yet, but he had a plan. "Yes, et es very ancient tradition. Soon I will hear dah bird and I become ets voice. I learn tah be better hunter when I summon spirit of dah animal dat I eat. I know dere ways better." It was all horrendously incorrect, but he loved to see how gullible people would be. Pulling up a chair at the table he slumped into it and after about 15 minutes his eyes started to close and he appeared to fall asleep with his chin resting on his chest. Illya could still hear Priscilla and Thomas working in the kitchen and he waited for another couple of moments. It was finally quiet and then he gave a loud gobble. Lifting his chin from his chest at the same time he was gobbling and opening his eyes he saw Priscilla jump and perhaps even Thomas jumped a little bit since no one was expecting it.

It was the strangest thing Priscilla had ever heard, and she shook her head at the two men, but decided to let them have their fun. Illya sank into a nearby chair and started to doze, which wasn't unexpected for someone with a brain injury, so they let him snooze. Calysta came by the door and peered inside to take a sniff of the food, she was surprised to see hin cooking but didn't have the energy to protest, she also saw Illya dozing in the chair and decided to leave him be for a bit. She had to clean out the animal pen. Giving them a small wave, she kept right on walking. As Thomas bent low to inspect the 'turkey' with his keen eyes on golden bird perfection, the Chip let out a wild warble from his chair and he could feel Priscilla jump about 2 feet in the air when he did. It took everything Thomas had not to laugh and he didn't move for a long time just so she wouldn't see the grin on his face. "It's not done yet, you'd better wait or you'll end up half baked like last time," Thomas quipped.

Illya tried to keep an innocent expression and he looked around the kitchen as if he'd been woken up by surprise. "Ugh...maybe I jes sleep somewhere else. Dis bird es interrupting meh nap." With a groan he stood up from his chair twitched a few times before he tilted his head and stared at the table like a bird. Righting his head again he made a few little bird struts toward the entryway of the kitchen and then gave another gobble. He wasn't going to be able to keep a straight face if he didn't leave and then it would ruin his fun.

Priscilla watched Illya go shaking her head and Thomas kept right on smirking as he gazed into the oven until it was time to make the pies. “Well, we don’t have any pumpkin, so would settle for blueberry? It would be better for the bird boys I think.”

When Illya appeared in the doorway, having come from the kitchen, Calysta didn’t really look up. Her eyes were fixed on the pad screen, trying to finish up what she was working on. He mentioned dinner and she nodded vacantly. “Sure, I’ll eat eventually.” Like a slow fade, his words dawned on her about dinner. He hadn’t said just any dinner. He’d said the word’s “Thanksgiving.” Frowning she flicked to her Terran calendar to see if he was just being funny, in the mood for turkey, or if he was right. Seeing the date….he was right. When had it gotten to Thanksgiving? She had hardly spent any time with the kids or Illya today and it was supposed to be a day with the family. What was wrong with her? Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes and she looked up at her Chip before bursting into tears. “It’s Thanksgiving.”

 

[Silence]

Illya was on the tail end of his cough and he could feel mucus gathering in his throat again. Coughing a bit he stepped into the living room with Kalizda. "Yah gonna be ready tah have Tanksgiving wit us?" Whatever she was doing had her preoccupied because he got some lame response until she had a moment to think about it. Then suddenly she burst into tears instead of smiling. What was wrong? For a split second Illya wondered what he'd done. Just standing here wasn't a good idea because he wanted to sneak away when she cried like that, but he knew better. Taking a seat on the couch next to her he took a deep breath. "Eh, why yah crying?"

Why was she crying? She was tired, and worried she might have brought a spy and killer on their ship, worried about her husband falling into fits in the floor again, worried her son wasn't feeling better. She was sure he'd lost Monster again too...what if she couldn't find him this time? He would be devastated. The Rose had been talking boys the other day and Lohgan was chewing on her first tooth. They would have to start training the Pithian's soon too and that would take time away from the kids again and she had entirely missed spending time with them on Thanksgiving of all things. A new sob wracked her and she put down her pad with eyes clamped shut. "I forgot it was Thanksgiving and I didn't spend anytime with my babies."

It looked like Kalizda had to think about why she was crying and perhaps it would help. Maybe she would see that things were much better now. Everything was going better and he was sure she'd stop crying if she had a chance to think about it. Instead the sobs were renewed and he opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Dun cry. Ets eh...." After a second he remembered to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her a bit closer to himself. With the other hand he gently took the pad away and set it aside. "Et es still Tanksgiving and yah can spend lots of time wit dah kids after lunch. I help clean up and yah jes rest wit Cypher, Lohgan and Rose. Yah forget dat I'm healed now and I can work. Eh?"

Illya wrapped an arm around her and she slid over a bit like a rag doll in the arms of a giant as she cried. When her head braced against his shoulder, she half melted against him and hid her face in his shirt out of shame and simple want to be close to him. "What if the seizure medication stops working again though?"she mumbled into his shoulder, "I don't want to find you in the floor again or have some sort of brain damage where you don't remember me again. I don't want you to get sick either. I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you and the kids like I take care of everyone else." Her tiny hand came up to clutch his shirt near his waist as she cried though why she was suddenly spilling her guts she didn't know. What was wrong with her?

There were so many things that she was worried about and she was wrong about a few of them. "Ok, yah jes listen." Illya wrapped his second arm around her and kissed the top of her head before lowering his head to put his mouth near her ear. "Dah medicine es nut stopped working yet. We jes enjoy dat I'm nut sick eh? Make most of dah good time." In all honesty he was afraid that the medicine wouldn't be enough. He'd had an implant to help manage the seizures since he was a kid because he used to seize almost every single day and sometimes more than once in a day. After the implant it was rare he had any seizures unless he was sick and then after the brain injury it was worse, but still manageable. To get any worse than he had been would be nearly unbearable to think about. "Now yah also wrong about someting very serious. Yah dun take care of dah kids alone and everyone else alone. Dat es why I'm yah agreed. We do dis togeter."

Calysta held to Illya tighter as his arm other arm wrapped around her and she sank further into him. She felt him kiss the top of her head and the whispering in her ear tickled slightly, but she listened as she was bound up in his arms. She knew he was right. They should be making better use of their good times, as the bad times were so frequent. It should be something they strove to make the best of in every moment they had. The medicine hadn't stopped working yet and the kids were feeling better. She wasn't alone like she was in those days in Kinte, not by herself in a cold room filled with cold sheets and wondering what was going happen. If it was the last time she would see someone with their eyes open and there was nothing she could do to change that. Calysta nodded and held to him as if he would dissapear at any moment and cried until she managed to calm down a little, the wracking sobs leaving her entirely empty for a moment. Finally, she nodded slowly from her hiding place, though she didn't move, and sniffled. "I'm sorry. I just..I don't want to lose you again. Not again."

Sometimes the insecurity was a bit overwhelming. Illya wasn't sure why she was always so worried about losing him. At the same time he understood why, but this seemed like she was worried more about him forgetting her. At least that was what she said and he wasn't about to revisit the idea of having more seizures. For now it was easier to ignore that concern and just focus on the forgetting part. Since when was that less of a fear? Pushing her away slightly he looked deep into her watery eyes. "Kalizda, yah spend too much time worrying about losing meh, about losing time, about losing yah kids. Why yah worry so much about losing tings? Yah lose more by worrying."

She felt herself being pushed away just enough to allow Illya to gaze into her eyes, red and puffy as they were, and she wanted nothing more than to hide again for once. She spent to much time worrying? Of course she did. It was her job. If Illya was sick she took care of him along with the kids, and that meant protecting everyone too. His face was blurry because of the tears welling in her eyes and running down her reddened cheeks. "I've thought I was going to lose you so many times now. I've watched you hurt and suffer...nearly die...I've seen you look at me and not even know me...this last time it was like being back in the hospital when I was a kid and I know that doesn't make any sense. I shouldn't be bothered or worried. I'm better than that." Her throat was starting to tighten up again out of shame and frustration this time over inability to stop rambling. "I know it doesn't make any sense at all." Her hand let go of his chest just long enough for her to wipe angrily at her eyes and hope to avoid that green gaze coming back at her.

"Kalizda, yah always ask meh tah be in dis time wit yah. Jes be in dis time wit meh. Dun look at dah past." He wasn't sure what to say, or how to fix the problem, but he was doing his best. "Dis es nut easy life, but we agree dat I fight and do dis so dat maybe Cypher will nut have tah consider war when he gets older. Dere es some trouble wit war and dere es always suffering, but we do dis for our children." Lifting her chin slightly he met her gaze again. "Yah and meh children wort all of et."

His finger slipped under her chin and guided her eyes back to his where she managed to hold steady. She knew why they were doing this, but sometimes she wasn't always sure if she was doing the right thing and she certainly didn't always know what she would do with consequences if she was wrong. He thought she was worth it though. That their family was worth whatever he had suffered in the past and that was enough wasn't it? He chose them, it wasn't shoved at him or cursed on him. Her fingers slipped up to his hand and nestled into the warmth of his palm out of instinct and she squeezed his hand gently. "You're worth it too, Illya," she mumbled thickly, "I never thought for a moment that you weren't. We'll do this together, yeah?"

"Mmhmm." Gently he squeezed her hand and pulled her close again. "I tink maybe dis medicine works and dat we will be ok. Besides, I have nut much time tah end dah war before Cypher es man. I must be busy." Smirking a little he kissed the top of her head. "Yah have an ambitious wolf."

Calysta let herself be pulled close again, glad to be snuggled up to his warm chest. There would have been a time when she found this embarrassing, or a show of weakness. Now, it wasn't so much a show of weakness as it was an appreciation and display of love, and then want for comfort she now knew she was more than allowed to have, even as a half breed. She could allow herself to have something like this and enjoy it. Calysta held him closer as he kissed the top of her head, still coming down from her crying but also feeling better in some ways. His small joke about being an ambitious wolf made her chuckle just a little, water though it was. "Aye, I do have an ambitious wolf, but he has a tough little bird, even if she's a bit wet feathered right now. I think they can do this together."

When she answered he grinned a little to himself and then decided it was a good time to tell her about a little idea he had. "I tink dat before I go back tah training dat maybe I take yah on date. Maybe dis one would be longer, but we take dah kids too and let dem experience someting different. We go on rail rider." She gave him a look that he interpreted as her not understanding what he meant. "Dere es a great long rider like snake dat travels on rails. Et goes up into dah mountains, under dem and takes long trail tah anoter place here. Dey say et goes tah a little guest house and yah stay dere and yah look at dat mountains and ski. We go dere and I learn tah ski better before I train more and we take dah kids so dey learn tah ski too eh? But, I get private quarters on rail rider and we be togeter and I take care of yah and everyone dis time. Yah dun worry."

His idea wasn't so much of a date as it as a vacation with the family and it seemed altogether wonderful when she thought about it. They could go exploring in the new area, and Illya could learn to ski...on the bunny slopes with the kids...and she could enjoy them all together. Almost like a little skiing resort. He was trying to make sure she didn't worry or stress anymore though and in some ways it felt like she was running from their problems. But wasn't that the point? To enjoy the time that they had? She used to do that, make Illya slow down and spend time with the family, but somewhere in the mix she had gotten tired too. Relaxing further into his arms, she nodded at him with a growing smile on her tear stained cheeks. "I think that sounds incredible," she agreed, "We could let the kids play outside in the snow, and maybe I could teach to ski a better. I think it would be perfect. Cypher will love the rail rider, and Rose wont stop writing about everything she sees." Leaning up, she kissed her Chip's cheek with a tender peck. "And we can just enjoy Lohgan and everyone else."

"Good, den we are ready for Tanksgiving." Carefully getting off the couch he offered his hand to Kalizda and pulled her up to stand with him. "We get dah kids up from dere nap, I show Cypher how tah summon dah bird and we eat." Both Cypher and Lohgan were mostly done with their little coughs, but they were napping a little more to help get rid of the little infection faster. "Yah get Lohgan and I will get Cypher." For the most part Illya tried to take care of their son because he was bigger and heavier. Kalizda didn't get to enjoy a stage where they were comfortable to carry for as long as he did.

Cypher was a little grouchy waking up and he grumbled and fussed, but Illya pulled him out of the bed anyway and kept his boy wrapped up in the heated blanket. He was wondering if he would ever get that blanket back, or if it had been confiscated by his son. In many ways he figured that it was a lost cause to get the blanket back. His little boy slept better with the blanket and Illya knew that while Cypher was sick he needed a little extra warmth to recover faster. Illya had the comforts of an extra body in his bed and that generated a bit of heat even if it was just from little Kalizda and her icy toes.

With a bit of coaxing he had Cypher in his arms and he walked with him to the kitchen. "Look at dat. Tomas makes food wit Priscilla. Dey make very special food for yah. Dis es food like yah mam eat when she was little girl. I show yah how Chippequoti celebrate dis food." Illya set Cypher down on one of the kitchen chairs and prepared to summon the bird. Cypher in the meantime put his thumb in his mouth and scowled as he watched his father pull his pants up a little bit, straighten his shirt and then make a terrible sound. At first Cypher's scowl deepened but after the strutting started he gave a reluctant smile. By the third turkey gobble he started to laugh and he pulled his thumb out of his mouth and gave his best imitation of his dad.

Bouncing in her mother's arm Lohgan squawked and giggled. She liked it when dah was silly and she wanted him to hold her while he was being so funny. Giggling a little she reached out with one of her chubby little fists and made a grabbing motion. Illya made a few bird struts across the dining room and kitchen then took Lohgan from Kalizda's arms, but not without stopping to kiss Kalizda first.

With the baby in his arms he bounced a little extra with his steps and the girl laughed all the more. Of course her turn had to come to an end when her brother saw how much fun she was having and then he wanted dah to pick him up too. By the time the meal was ready the kids were a pile a giggles and Illya was slightly winded. He couldn't do as much with the cough and he leaned against the counter with one hand and breathed in deeply a few times. "Oh, dey wear meh out like dat. I can't gobble, bounce and breat at dah same time when I have cough like dis." Grinning a little he looked back at the kids and winked. "Now dat we finish summoning dah bird I serve yah plates full of bird and good foods eh?" Cypher nodded vigorously. He'd worked up quite the appetite playing the wild game with his dah and he wanted to eat all the food.

When the meal was done Illya leaned back in the chair a little bit and he grinned. "Now we eat more. I tink dis holiday es celebration of gluttony, no?" He didn't know much about the Terran festival, but they certainly enjoyed making more food than they could eat and then proceeded to eat outrageous servings on this particular day of celebration. Not that he was going to complain. It was good food, but he wanted to understand it a little better.

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

There was a little work to get done so that they could go on the rail rider. It was just a few hours up the mountain on it and then all day on the slopes and one night before they would head back the next morning. In the meantime Illya needed to let the animals outside to play while he cleaned out the stalls and made sure they had plenty of provisions. Cin went romping about in the snow and Illya let the bear do that for now. None of the animals strayed too far because they all knew he would step out to check on them if they tried to leave.

When he was finished with the work Illya stepped out on the ramp to take hold of Quroz' lead. The bird eyed him like it wanted to peck, but he ignored it for now and reached up to pet the top of the bird's head. Momentarily the bird's eyes flashed and then screeched before it raised its head and then pecked him hard on the top of his head. "Yah miserable bastard." Grumbling a bit Illya felt the top of his head. Thankfully there wouldn't be anything to show for that little display of displeasure. Just to be sure that Kalizda hadn't seen anything he looked around and then dug into his pocket for a treat. It was about time the bird learned not to peck at the one that fed it. Immediately the bird started to paw at his leg and use him to stand up taller. It was a massive creature and it was already bigger than him.

When it started to paw at him he elbowed the creature's leg and then slapped its beak when it bit too hard and drew a little blood. After 3 more violent efforts the bird gave up and then when Illya held the treat out the creature gave a more tentative approach which was gentle and Illya rewarded it. There was a mounting curiosity. He could work with the bird on the ground easily enough. Getting it used to being gentle again only took a few tries. He was going to have to show Kalizda how to get the bird to respect her. When she took care of the animals they become wild and restless. She didn't make them work to earn her favor at all. Animals could not think they were more powerful than you, or there would be trouble. Some animals were more submissive, but the bird was not one of those kinds. It was proud.

Walking along with the bird outside he felt it start to rub against his shoulder with its beak and he heard a strange purring type sound. It did have the paws and part of a body like a cat, but he wasn't sure why a bird would make a purring sound. In all truth he wasn't even sure it was a bird. After a few more minutes of debate he decided it was time to put his thoughts into action. He was going to ride this bird.

Illya moved closer to the bird and he took a deep breath before suddenly throwing one leg over the bird's back and then clinging tight to Quroz. The lead was still clutched in his hands and Illya felt the bird start to run first as if it were terrified. Slowly and calmly Illya spoke to the animal and he tried to soothe it, but Quroz would have none of it and it leaped into the air in a wild attempt to lose the man. Instead it clung to Quroz and the bird tried to peck at it, but Quroz could not reach his rider and so he resorted to other methods of ridding himself of his rider.

Quroz tried to fly higher to get this man off its back, but the man wouldn't fall off. Turning sharply the creature dove for the ground. This time Illya wasn't quite expecting the move. He had been leaning into the bird/cat back and leaning forward during the ascent. He still had the lead in his hand and that turned out to be a good thing as he flew right over the birds head and dangled precariously above the trees and the land. The bird struggled against his weight, but it was all pulling on the harness connected to Quroz and the two of them started to tumble from the sky with Quroz flapping furiously to maintain some control.

Calysta finished loading the last dish into the rack and then dried her hands before feeling a tug on her tunic hem. Cypher was looking up at her with big hopeful eyes and a sweet smile. "Mam, can I go play outside with Dah?" Of course, he broke out into a fit of chunky sound cough near the end of his statement before nearly spitting the wad into his hand. Quickly, she scooped him up and had him spit into the sink, half holding him under the arms and another knee bracing his bottom. He was getting far too heavy for her to keep hauling around, but she was having to do it anyways. Cypher spat into the sink with a funny sound and she sighed. "Dont spit into your hands, little man. We talked about that. And I don't think it's a good idea for you to go outside still sick." That sweet little grin turned upside down in a heart beat, to a pathetic looking pout with his lip poked out just so. How was it he looked so much like his father when he did that? "Peaaaase!" It was hard not to resist that sweet little please and, like any good mother, she caved slightly and nodded. "Only for a minute." His feet were running before she even sat him back down on the floor. It took a few minutes to get them both bundled up, but finally they were headed toward the animal bay. The hatch was open and the cool air was blustering in, making Cypher shiver. Still, he was determine to go see the animals with his Dah and that's all their was to it. Like the brave boy he was, he took his second try of the snow full force, pull out of Calysta's hands and running down the ramp to be greeted by a pack of dogs along with a lazy bear. Looking over the group for a moment, she noticed two things missing. The wildest of the two, Pecky and Illya. Not a moment later, a sharp cry echoed from the sky and immediately she paled before even looking up. Slowly, her eyes drifted upward to see the golden plumed bird jetting downward over the trees with a familiar tan man dangling from the bottom. Her jaw dropped. What in the Wilds did he think he was doing!? Chips flew about as well as rocks and he had already tested that theory more than once! "Illya Blackwolf! She bellowed to him from the ramp, "Land that thing!"

The ride wasn't as smooth as Illya liked, but it would have been tolerable. At least it would have been had he not heard that bellow from his agreed. Kicking his feet Illya did his best to turn around while still maintaining his grip on the lead. He could see her little frame standing on the ramp and he let go with one hand to wave at her. "I'm jes fine!" As soon as he yelled that he grabbed the lead with his second hand again and grumbled under his breath. "I'd rater say up here."

At that point, Cypher saw his Dah riding on the big yellow bird and chased after him into the trees waving his arms. "Dah! Dah! Me next! Me next." Calysta growled and crossed her arms giving her husbands dangling bum a hard look. "You're riding on the wrong side! Land it before you fall!" That would be all she needed was for him fall and break a bone all the way out here where there were no Ehaui to help.

Illya kicked some more so he could turn around again and yell back to her, "I know dat and I'm trying!" He could tell she was in a bad mood and he wasn't feeling much better about it. Since she was the one snapping already and she didn't even know why he was training Quroz to be ridden. Within a few minutes the bird had them close enough to the ground that Illya's feet hit the ground and he stumbled and then tried to run to catch up, but he still got pulled right off his feet and slammed into a snow pile. It slowed the bird down, but it still drug him through the snow pile and then over the icy pond before it landed. Illya got up slowly and he walked over to Quroz to rub the bird's head before walking back with it toward the ship. When Cypher was close enough he shook his head. "No, yah ride anoter time. Quroz does not have good manners tah ride yet, but I teach him." Glancing up at Kalizda he flashed her a grin. "See, I land dah bird jes fine."

The scowl on her face grew to an outright grimace when she saw the bird swooped low to the ground allowing Illya to dig his heels in and slam right into a snow drift with a spectacular spray of white powder. Cypher cheered, thrusting his gloved hands into the air as if a great victory had been won rather than his father getting a face full of cold snow. Then the bird glided with wobbly wings over a frozen pond making him swing back and forth precariously. Calysta dug her nails in to her arm and took off running toward the lake edge without a second thought. If he fell and the ice wasn't thick enough, he'd break right through and sink to the bottom like a stone. She raced to the lake edge with Cypher kicking up clods of snow behind her and finally the bird landed on the side of the shore. "I think it's more like the bird landed you instead," she shot back breathlessly. Her lungs were aching from the run in the cold as she shook her head. "What in the Wilds were you doing? Did he get away?"

As it would so happen, Kalizda eventually caught up with where he was and she didn't appear to be nearly as excited about this as he was. "No, dah bird was nut getting away from meh. I jes decide dat I train Quroz tah fly wit rider on him."

She was prepared for just about any tale that he could come up with and yet it still came as shock to her that he would attempt riding the creature. It was mean, unruly and only responded to food regularly. "Why..." the word left her lip and she shook her head, abandoning it, "How do did you plan on doing that exactly?"

Somehow she was giving him that look that said she really didn't get it. Illya frowned a little. "Well, yah can't expect first ride tah be smooth. All animals are wild till yah train dem. I train him tah let rider on him jes like today. I walk wit dah bird. Give him treats and den I jes jump on and go for ride. One day he will know dis es nut dangerous and nut scary and he will be calm and fly for meh nicely."

She thought of many things she could say to him. How about this wasn't the day that he broke the thing into learning to fly? Considering he had brain surgery not but 2 weeks ago. Or how it wasn't dangerous or scary for the bird, but it was for him and her. No. She decided against it because it would only lead to an argument and she didn't really have the interest in arguing right now. Instead, she looked at him with a solid gaze. "Well...next time just...trying to keep it away from the lake. I don't want to have to go fishing for my Chip." It was part way a joke, with some more serious undertones of warning which were made much less serious by Cypher holding up his hands for Dah to pick him up. "I can ride next time, Dah?"

Illya bent down to pick up Cypher and he grinned a little. "I tink when dah bird es more comfortable wit rider dat I can keep et away from dah lake." Glancing to his son he answered the boy's question. "Yah dun ride dah bird for a long time. Et es naughty and I need tah help et learn tah be good."

Calysta sighed and crossed her arms before letting the two boys to tug along the bird back to the ship. "A naughty bird for an equally naughty husband," she quipped, with a small smile, "Also, next time tell me you're going to train him, so you have a spotter. If you fall someone can come after you." She wasn't going to talk him out of doing this but she could make it safer for him.

"I am nut naughty. I'm a good husband." Illya protested a little, but he nodded when she offered to be spotter. "Well, ef yah gonna be spotter den I do meh best not tah be splatter." The look on her face said it all and he finished putting Quroz back into his little kennel with a laugh. "I finish setting out enough food for rest of today, tonight and tomorrow morning and den I get meh tings packed and we can go eh?"

Calysta trekked back into the animal bay, stomping the snow from her boots as she went. When he mentioned taking care of the animals and then packing up for their trip, she couldn't help but smile more genuinely before tugging his hand over to her. Placing a chaste peck on his cheek she chuckled. "Aye. I'll help you pack." Cypher grinned and tugged on his father's hair. "Mam says we're going on a ride."

Winking at Kalizda he let her go into the main part of the ship and he kept Cypher with him for the time as he finished up taking care of the animals. "Mmhmm. We go on big rail glider. I tell yah more about et later when we're done wit dah chores."

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

They were finally on their way to the rail rider. There had been a little bit of adrenaline that morning, but they would be alright. It would have to be a nice quiet little get away because Kalizda still had a few days left on her medicine. Illya imagined that was why she was getting so short tempered. He was starting to feel a bit restless without some 'work' to do at night. Soon enough it would be fixed and then they could both get back to business as usual.

Cypher was shivering a little in the cold as they waited at the station. "Et's alright, when dah great rail rider comes we will go up dah mountains like we ride in belly of giant snake." His boy gave him a wide eyed look and Illya nodded. He could hear the rumbling of the rider coming down the track. As the train arrived Illya winked at his kids. "Alright. I give each of yah a ticket and I make sure dat yah get on dah train wit yah mum." He liked to board last just to make sure they were all on the train safely first. There was always an internal debate if going in first to clear the area was better or staying behind to make sure no one was going to try anything crazy while their backs were turned was better. However, he couldn't be two places or two persons, so he had to mange with things as they were.

Inside the train Illya held Cypher on his lap while the boy pointed out the window and yelled at nearly every exciting prospect that they passed. Illya was sure that Thomas and Priscilla were getting headaches. He was about to get a headache too. "Cypher, remember dat we can all hear yah jes fine when yah talk wit normal voice." Just as the boy started to yell again he put his hand over his mouth and muffled some of the yell. "Talk more quiet. Meh head hurts when yah yell like dat."

By the time they reached the ski lodge Illya had fallen asleep, but he woke with the sudden lack of motion. "Ok, we get our little lodge for dah night and den we all get dressed tah ski." He barely finished speaking and the kids were practically racing to get off the great glider and into the lodge ahead. Inside the main part of the lodge Illya picked up the key for the large suite and the two other rooms near it for Priscilla and Thomas. "Dere, we all have comfortable stay here I tink." Each of them got a voucher for meals and ski as well as the spa. "Whatever yah like dis little pass will let yah do et." Turning back toward the kids he grinned. "Now, we go get ready tah try skiing eh?"

Rose was the first one done and ready to go. Cypher was so busy being excited that he managed to get himself half undressed before he was even to the door. Illya took a while longer as he wrapped an extra layer of padding over his prosthetic leg. Near the top of the prosthetic he put a little extra padding. "Et hurts when dah leg gets so cold in winter." It was the one thing about the permanent prosthetic that actually bothered him. He had a little bit of a metal shank that went into the bone to anchor the leg to him and when the prosthetic was outside in the freezing cold it made the bone in the leg ache horribly. Perhaps if he could keep the leg insulated a little better it would help with the pain and it might keep him from knocking himself out again if he managed to bend himself over that far while skiing again.

Even as poor as his skills were, Illya had thought that maybe he could show Kalizda a few things. They went out to the beginners slope to start and Cypher was trying his best. The boy nearly did the splits a few times. Illya was a little rough, but not so bad as he was at his first attempt. He could ski across a flat area without too much trouble and when he got to the top of the hill he stared at it blankly for several seconds. Momentarily he started to sway on his feet and then he felt Kalizda grab his arm and she was talking to him. "Oh, yeah I'm fine." Using the little rods he pushed himself toward the edge and made it down the slope. At the bottom he waited for Cypher and the rest of them to come down.

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

Later that evening Illya was getting ready for bed. He'd brushed his teeth and he only wandered around naked for a few moments before he grabbed a fresh pair of boxers. Sliding them on he felt something a bit awkward with them, but took a few steps toward the bed before he froze. "Eh..." Whatever was going on with his boxers was because there was something inside of them and currently that something was crawling over his private parts. "Kalizda, yah hand meh dat pad, or maybe yah look someting up for meh?"

She was giving him an odd look and he took a shallow breath. He was afraid to even cough. Whatever it was happened to think that it was in a great spot. If it was something that could bite or sting he didn't really want it to do either of those things in its current location. "Jes look up any creature dat lives here dat would be small enough tah fit in meh boxers." Illya's eyes got a bit wider when she didn't seem to think that he was serious. "Kalizda, I'm nut trying tah smuggle anyting. I jes need tah know what es in meh boxers. Dere es someting on meh dick and I'm jes a little worried ef et bites or stings. Please hurry up. I know yah type faster den meh."

There was a little bit of sweat forming along the top of his lip and he tapped the side of his leg with his fingers while he waited for her to find what could be that size. There wasn't any conclusive sort of result at this point and he was starting to wonder what could be going on. The more it moved the more uncomfortable he got. Finally Illya slipped his thumbs into the waist band of his boxers and he looked at Kalizda with a slightly concerned expression. "Ef ets someting bad I knock et off mehself and den yah kill et wit a shoe eh?" He didn't have his shoes on anymore and he knew he wouldn't really want to go walk across the room to find his shoes just to squish this thing. As long as he could get it off he would be in better condition than he was now.

With a sudden motion he jerked his boxers down and swiped the creature off himself. The spider, Monster flew a few feet and then hit the wall with a soft thud before it hit the ground and started to scuttle away. "Oooh!" Illya didn't want to lose his son's spider so he half tripped with his boxers now around his ankles as he scrambled for the spider. "Quick, get a box for et. We jes keep et safe one night and on dah rail rider tomorrow. Den we put et back in dah cage at home." With a severe expression he glowered at the spider. "I dun mind ef yah meet accident and die, but I will be sad for Cypher. He will get more reasonable monster. Yah make trouble. Climb in meh agreed's hair and den cling to meh in very bad way." Huffing a little he shoved the box deep into his bag. "I dun like dat ting." Once he pulled his boxers back up he shifted around a few times before he felt comfortable enough to flop on the bed. "I need tah find out how long dese tings live." With a few little taps he started to look up the spider. He thought that it would live maybe 2-3 years, but he had grossly underestimated the lifespan. Holding his pad up he showed it to Kalizda. "I tink we must talk wit Cypher about letting his spider out at night ef he wants et tah live long time. Yah nearly kill et in yah hair, Thomas almost kill et and I almost kill et." They seemed like uncommon little hitches in having a spider, but Rose and Priscilla were the only ones left to meet with this disaster. He hated to think what it would look like if the spider found Priscilla next time.

 

[aryamajor]

Dinner was a fun affair once the children were awake. Calysta roused Lohgan from her nap and she was slightly grumpy until she got the first few coughs out of the way. The Chip cough was slowly fading from her lungs, and some of the smaller hacks were simply out of instinct now rather than producing any phlegm from her lungs. Calysta wiped down her little girls face before smoothing her hair and putting her tiny red sweater on. The girl was quickly out growing her old baby clothes now, having gained some girth in both her chubby limbs and her bones as a whole. “Oh, you look pretty,” Calysta chuckled, “Growing too. I wonder how much you weigh now?” It was probably close to 20lbs or better.

Taking them both to the dining room, she sat Lohgan on her knee. This would be her first Thanksgiving, and that would mean she would get to see their tradition of ‘summoning the bird.’ Her little girl was having fun kicking her heels into her mother’s shin when Illya came in carrying a stormy looking Cypher. Their boy’s brow was furrowed for all of 3 seconds of his father’s antics until it came to the warbling. Finally, that thumb left his mouth and he grinned trying to make the turkey cry while Lohgan squealed in delight. “Summon dah bird,” Calysta chuckled, warbling in her daughter’s ear, “Summon dat bird.” It only served to make her squeal happily and then each out to her Dah. Illya scooped up his girl, trading her for a peck on the cheek, and taught her how to summon the bird too, until everyone was breathless.

Thomas warbled a loud turkey gobble as the massive bird they had bought on Jackobi was placed proudly on the table among the rest of the fixings. “And the bird has arrived. No cornbread stuffing either. Lets say grace and eat!”

Calysta took Lohgan up as everyone sat down around the table, Illya slipping in beside her with a big grin still on his face. His children always managed to make him smile like that and she couldn’t help but slide her fingers over to his hand to give them a squeeze while her father did his blessing.
“Heavenly Father, we thank you for our family and the chance to be together no matter where we are. We thank you for these blessings of protection around us while we are here and while we travel. We thank you for this food and let it be nourishment unto our bodies. Amen.”

For Cypher, the blessing lasted all of an eternity when there was delicious smelling food in front of him and he kept his eyes trained on the golden bird in front of him the entire time. In a moment where he thought nobody was looking, his eyes shifted left, then to the right with caution before he dared to reach out with his chubby fingers and poke the roasted bird only to find he was too short to reach it. Rather than trying for the bird again, his eyes settled on the bowl piled with mashed potatoes. Checking with the utmost care to make sure nobody was watching, he dove his fingers into the bowl and scooped up a nice handful, helping himself. When Mam finally looked up, her eyes widened and he grinned offering her a bite. “I share wit yah mam.”

*******

After dinner, Calysta found herself entirely too full to do much other than hold Lohgan and sigh. She had only eaten an entire plateful of bird, potatoes with gravy, squash casserole and more along with seconds and a slice of blueberry pie. As funny as it was, Cypher went through his entire meal with gusto and couldn’t wait for the ‘blueberry pie’ dessert. When it arrived, he poked at the mounds of berries on the inside and demanded. “Where are the berries?” His Papa tried to explain those were his favourite berries inside the pie, but he denied it at every turn, unused to seeing them like that. Finally, they had to give him a bowl of regular blueberries and let him be satisfied with that.

In the living room, Rose told them all about the new story she was writing and regaled them with the lastest one. Calysta was surprised at the depth of her characters and how much her vocabulary had grown. Her first little girl was all but an adult in some ways and it made her all the happier that she was getting to spend Thanksgiving with her one more time. “There’s more but it’s really long,” Rose said, putting down her pad, “I’ve been working hard on it.”

“It’s fantastic,” Calysta smiled, “I can’t wait to hear the rest when it’s done.”

They chit-chatted about this and that until Illya made his comment about a celebration of gluttony. Thomas exchanged a look with Calysta and Priscilla began to openly laugh over the comment, so much so that she covered her mouth in an effort to keep the chortling from becoming to much. "One would think," she chuckled, "Everyone eats far too much on Thanksgiving, and in a way it has become a gluttonous day. I know I'm stuffed." Calysta's eyes darted to the ceiling as she tried to remember her Terran lessons. "It was about travellers across the sea, right? I don't remember which one. I'm rusty on Terran geography." Priscilla's dog Yuji flopped across her lap and he scratched between the pup's ears as she nodded. "Yes, the Atlantic ocean. Do you want to hear it?" The question was directed to Illya, as he seemed to be the one confused, but also because she didn't want to force him to listen to old history lessons either.

With all the laughter and amused expressions, Illya figured he'd guessed wrong. At least he took a shot at it. Either he was very close or so far off that it was funny. However, it sounded like he was both, a long ways off and close at the same time. This particular festival had a story to it and he figured he might as well know what he was celebrating a Terran festival for. "Yeah, I should know ef dis festival es wort all dah food and celebrating or nut."

Priscilla chuckled and shifted slightly so the children could hear the story too. Even Rose put down her pad long enough to let her eyes focus on the Terran woman, as she was interested in hearing a bit more about her long forgotten home. "A very long time ago, before the entirety of Terra had been discovered and explored, a group of people known as the Pilgrims lived on an island. They were facing persecution because of who they were, and what they believed. Unable to find peace in their home land, they took to a wooden ship with sails called the Mayflower and sailed across the ocean for months. By the time they arrived at a new shore, many were sick...ill from travel and disease. They came across a native who saw their state and taught them to live in the new land, learning to hunt the animals there, avoid the dangerous plants, and even harvest corn. This native also helped make a pact of peace between the native peoples and the newcomers which resulted in the first feast of the fall harvest together, giving thanks for one another. It's changed a bit over the centuries, but the common idea of friendship is peace is still there and currently, it marks he beginning of a cultural and religious celebratory season on Terra for some. It leads all the way to Christmas."

The whole story sounded a bit too nice. Illya kept waiting for some massacre to happen at the feast or some other memorable event. Instead it was simply a meal that a bunch of people shared together. "Dats et?" Illya asked with a slightly hopeful tone. He wanted there to be more because he was sure good relations couldn't last. Terrans were terrible with negotiations and even worse at keeping their word. So, there had to be some unrest shortly after this feast if not during.

The Terran woman blinked at Illya. Who would be disappointed by such a peaceful story, for once. "Well, yes," she replied, her slight accent catching in the traders tongue, "The peace pact lasted for a generation before more settlers came, causing unrest. The entire part supposedly lasted for three days and remains one of the most memorable peace pacts in Terran history to this day." She tilted her head toward the councilwoman and smiled. "No offense to our Kaerelean representative here." Calysta have the woman a half smile in return and bounced Lohgan a little on her knee. "None taken, Pris."

"Oh, I guess dat really would be amazing. Wort celebrating." Illya figured he would leave it at that and forget to add his commentary. It was pretty impressive for Terrans to actually agree that long to live together nicely.

********

Calysta held tightly to Cypher’s hand as the train came into the station with a powerful ‘whoosh’ before going into a squealing stop. Glancing around, she saw everyone had their tickets, and their luggage was already checked, besides their carry on bags which included everything from diapers to blueberries in a small container. As soon as the steps clanked down from the train car, Cypher used his heavy weight and half pulled her aboard, bouncing with every step. He had been able to see the number on their ticket, and knew exactly which room was theirs. “Sex…sex…sex…number sex!” Calysta cringed as he dragged her along. “Don’t be lazy, Cypher. Say it correctly.” That command changed ‘sex’ to ‘seheeeeks’ which wasn’t much improvement but better than his former pronunciation.

When she got into their stateroom, her sign leapt onto the padded bench by the window and made himself at him watching the people and pointing while Calysta put her backpack down and then put Lohgan into her lap. By the time everyone got into the room, the ticket taker was coming around with his hole puncher and Cypher was excited over that too. “Here’s my ticket to ride dah snake train!” he commanded proudly as he handed over his ticket. The Pithian man taking tickets didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed, judging by the look on his face and he took the boy’s ticket with a dry. “Uhuh.” Not that it mattered to the plump boy at his knees, who was perfectly happy with response as he went back to the window.

The ride was pleasant enough, though her son had gotten to that stage where every little thing needed an announcement and by the time woke Lohgan up for the third time, his father clamped a hand over his mouth putting an end to the game…for the next ten minutes.

Getting into the lodge was easy at least and no one gave them any trouble with entering their cozy rented space. Fires were already crackling in the living room and the bedrooms had wonderful thick quilts on every bed. No sooner had all the luggage been tossed in all the rooms were the kids ready to go. It would be Rose and Cypher going out to ski while Papa took care of Lohgan for the day. “Ah, even with the bone marrow transplant and my knee feeling much better, it’s best not to irritate it with that. Part of it is still metal and it gives me fits in the cold sometimes no matter what,” he said as he shooed them out of the door, “Plus, its better for her not to be in the cold for too long right now too.”

Calysta made sure Lohgan and her father had everything they needed before hitting the slopes. She didn’t even give the bigger passes a glance as they headed right for the bunny hills without question. It had been awhile since she had skied and wanted to get her bearings again before attempting anything bigger. She helped Cypher strap his little ski boots into the skis while Illya padded his prosthetic, then handed her boy off to his father watchful eyes for a bit. Those two needed time together and if Cypher was with him he might not attempt anything too wild.

She made a few passes over the flat surface, remembering how the movement should feel, and adjusted her goggles on her head some before looking over to Rose. The was bound up in her brown jacket along with her pink scarf and mittens, brown wavy hair peeking from under her knitted pink hat. Rose took to the ski’s like a natural and soon was wading around with ease. “This is cool,” she smiled. It was then Calysta realized Rose was wearing makeup. It wasn’t a lot of makeup. Just a little mascara which made her green eyes stand out and some pink lip gloss. Where she learned to put it on was beyond her. Rose hadn’t come to her about it other than playing around when she was little. All the same, it wasn’t such a big deal, or really noticeable unless you saw her without it regularly. “You’re pretty good at it,” she replied to her daughter.

“I think I went ice skating when I was little. It feels like a memory,” she replied as the followed Illya to the edge of the small slope.

“It does feel a little like ice skating,” Calysta agreed. She realized, it had been awhile since she had spent some time with her eldest daughter and it almost felt like a shameful thing for her as a mother to have not paid more attention. “You look pretty, by the way Rose. Your make up looks nice. Maybe we can go to the spa later and have it done for both of us after a massage? Maybe a girl’s day?”

Rose grinned and nodded. “That would be fun.”

With that, she took off down the slope ahead of everyone, eager to try out the skis on a hill. Calysta side stepped over to Illya who was staring off. “Illya, are you ready?” She didn’t get a reply for a moment, and the blank look in her eyes told her that he was having a seizure. Not good. Her stomach knotted as she waited patiently, until he wobbled, coming out of his own mind. “Hey there,” she said, gently grabbed his arm, “Are you ready?”

They took the slope behind each other, him going first, which in retrospect was a bit more dangerous. If he fell, he could have taken out everyone else behind him. Luckily he did well, and she slid down the slightly compacted snow with decent form, knees tucked and elbows bent. Wind rushed past as she enjoyed the sensation of almost flying in an open aired flyer and then as the bottom neared, turned her knees, sliding to a stop. Snow slung from her skiis and she grinned up at Illya, feeling her heart pumping in a good way. “Not bad,” she chuckled. About that time, Cypher came flying down the bunny slope with no from what so ever, his heavy body turning him into a little bullet. At one point, he skidded along on only one ski before pitching forward again and landing on his belly, legs splayed. Like one of his beloved penguins, he slid down the rest of the icy hill on his stomach and came to a stop piled in a snow drift off to the side.

Calysta winced and slid over to him, heaving him out of the snow bank and expecting to see him crying, but there wasn’t a tear in sight as she pulled the snow from inside his hood. Instead, he was grinning from ear to ear with pink cheeks. “Can I go again?”

How could she deny that? Smiling, she laughed and sat him down on the ground. “Yes, lets go again.”

After many more times on the slope, Rose wandered over to them and gave her a bright look before pointing to a group of young Pithtians. Most of them were boys, but there was girl in the mix too. “They invited me to the bigger slopes and to hang out at the sweet shop after, can I go with them?” She knew better than to run off without asking, but she also knew she was running the risk of them saying no.

“I don’t mind it,” Calysta said, “As long as that’s the only place you go and you keep your wrist link you at all times. Be sure to tell Wolf too.”

******

Calysta shimmied into bed feeling tired, but not in the same way as the last week. This was the sort of tired she aspired to be every day, an enjoyable feeling versus the sensation of being drowned. As she pulled the covers up to her hips, she heard Illya shimmying into his boxers, the band of his shorts snapping to his tan hips. That was the only thing about their vacation. They could have fun on the slopes all day in the snow, but fun on the ‘slopes’ of the bedroom was still hiatus for another week or so. “Only one more week…only one more week…” She mumbled the mantra into her pillow only to be interrupted by an odd request. “Sure”, she said grabbing her pad from the bedside table, “What is it?”

His explanation earned him a raised brow and then she went to typing while staring at him. “Hang on.” Her fingers flew over the keys and she hoped nothing major was going on there. She was positive neither of them could stand it if he got bitten and couldn’t use it before another month. “I don’t see anything here, the info we have on this planet is minimal though. Could be a small mouse or a bird, though the mouse is more likely. Why don’t you just check?” He couldn’t stand there in a stalemate with whatever it was forever. She agreed to his little plan, and carefully slipped out of bed, picking up one of Illya’s boots on the way.

In one quick motion, he opened his boxers and swept outward, sending an object the size and color of a hockey puck flying against the wall with a soft thunk. Monster! How did the little thing even get there?! He dove for the critter, half falling in the process and Calysta leapt over the bed, snagging up Cypher’s empty container of blue berries from the bag. In one fell swoop, she captured the thing before realizing she didn’t really want to be anywhere near it. “Take it…” she said quickly handing it off to Illya.

He scowled at the naughty spider and shook his head, letting out a statement that brought her a small sense of victory. He didn’t like the spider. Of course, he didn’t, now that it had seen more action than she had in 2 minutes versus her entire month. Those weren’t the kind of legs he liked. Smiling to herself at that little thought, she bit her lip to keep from laughing, but without much good. “Of all the places,” she chortled from the bed. Most of her smugness disappeared when Illya flopped out on the bed next to her and picked up pad, showing her how long they lived. “They can live for that long?” she muttered, her eyes going wide. “He’s going to have that thing forever…until he’s grown and moved out if it manages to live that long.” At this point the odds were low that it would, but who knew?

Calysta could hear the little thing and its hairy legs scrambling in the container, making scratching sounds the set her teeth on edge. They would probably get to hear that sound all night. “We’ll have to teach him not to let it out at night at all. Ever,” she commented with a yawn. Curling up next to Illya, she contented herself with sliding her cold toes up his good leg and warming them up so she could drift off to sleep with her head on his shoulder. “Big day tomorrow…Rose and I are going to the spa. I promised a girls day.”

*********

They all met for breakfast in the lodge cafeteria and Calysta was happy to find they had a pretty good variety of foods. Some of them must have been imported from other planets because she didn’t know where they would find fresh melons and berried on a frozen homeworld unless there were green houses beyond where they could see. A man stood at a station handing out fresh pastries and meat from the kitchen while Calysta waited in line, plate in one hand and Cypher tugging on the other. “Berries and baken, mam. Pease!”

“I don’t think they have bacon but they have berries and fried steak,” she offered, “It’s just like bacon only bigger. But only boys who stand still in line get to have it.”

At the word ‘bigger’ Cypher’s eyes grew round and he stood stock still in line so he could get his big bacon. More was always better and he was determined to get it. Rose came by carrying a plate of fruit and two boys from the day before trailing behind. “Kalizda? Do you mind if I eat with Peter and Elias then go skiing with them and the others? It’s the same group from yesterday and the want to show me the Green trail.”

Calysta tilted her head and inspected the two taller boys, both of which were about Roses’ age. They had treated her nicely from what she gathered yesterday and it was important for her to have friends her own age. Calysta wanted her daughter to enjoy the attention and feel safe going out, but there was a small problem. “Well, I thought we might want to check out the spa today with me.”

Roses’ eyes widened and she bit her lip. “I totally forgot, maybe we can do it when I come back?”

And there it was. In an instant, she had gone from fun to hang with to forgotten in favor of those her own age. Really, it was inevitable and Calysta knew that. She remembered it happening to her own father when she moved to Skycorp in some ways, but it all felt too soon. Was it still fair to hold her back though? No. It didn’t mean it hurt any less.

“If Wolf says yes, then you can go with the same rules as yesterday,” Calysta replied in Qouti.

Her daughter looked disappointed at the prospect of having to ask once more, but Calysta felt that was only fair.

 

[Silence]

Illya was sitting with Kalizda when he saw Rose slide onto the bench next to him with that hopeful look in her eyes. He knew she was going to ask him something. Rose never gave him that look unless she was about to ask for something and it was usually big. He hadn't been real fond of Kalizda just letting Rose go out to the slopes with those other kids. All he got was an informational, but he and Kalizda talked about it and they were going to decide these things together now. Of course the first thing out of Rose's mouth was that she wanted to go skiing with the kids again and Illya studied her face for a long minute. "I want tah meet dese boys and talk wit dem before yah tink of going anywhere wit dem again."

Rose's hopeful gaze turned to half embarrassment and half annoyance, her jaw setting some as her shoulders dropped. Why was Wolf being so nosy when Kalizda had been so easy to please? She was being responsible and checking. Surely that had been enough. "Oh, you don't have to Wolf. I promise. They're very nice," Rose offered trying to sound casual, "And they haven't bothered me at all with anything. I was with them all day yesterday with no problems."

"Uh huh." Illya picked up another fork full of food and chewed it slowly while he listened to the list of excuses. It was amazing at how terrifying it was to think that she was almost old enough to tell him that she was a woman and she was going to make her own choices, but until then he was going to do his best to protect her and let her begin to explore the adult world. When he swallowed he looked at her again and sighed. "Well, ef dey are so nice den I would like tah meet dem. Meh answer es no until I talk wit dem."

Her mouth twitched slightly at his answer. It felt like he didn't trust her to make her own friends and decisions which was irritating. She had been living and exploring quite well enough on her own while he was at work all of the time. "If that's what it takes for you to trust me, then fine," she grumbled, before waving at the two Pithian boys over. Each cast a glance at the other before shrugging and coming over to where Rose was sitting with the Chip man. They were young, clearly Roses' age and both taller than she was while on the leaner size, neither of them having completely finished their growing phases. "Wolf, this is Paul and Elias," she said pointedly. Paul gave Rose a confused look while Elias gave a half wave of 'hello' his hand wobbling awkwardly. "Um, Hello."

"Et esn't about trusting yah. Tah meh dis es about making sure dat yah safe." Illya didn't really think she wanted to take the time for him to explain the whole process now, but he would probably have chance later if she was terribly upset by it. Patiently he waited for the two lanky boys to walk over and he turned in his seat slightly to look at them. They probably didn't mind Rose so much, but he knew if the boys had anytime at all with other Pithians that they wouldn't like him at all. The chances that they had spent time with other Pithians was pretty much a given. It made it hard to know that they would consider everything he said with judgement and yet they were still just boys, so he would have to be gentle. "Yah want tah take meh daughter wit yah. I know about dis yesterday. She give meh good report on yah behavior. I expect same kind of report from her at end of day. Ef dere es anyting wrong wit yah behavior, or dah way yah treat her den I will have tah do someting about et. She es meh oldest and she es beautiful so I know dat maybe yah have little temptations. Et es better tah keep dose to yahself and jes find way tah have fun witout touching her."

Rose slowly sank in her seat like a deflating balloon as a heavy blush came to her pale cheeks over what Wolf was saying. Why did he feel the need to tell them that? Kalizda had already taught her things and that included how to hit a boy in a few ways to make him leave you alone. The two boys looked unsure of what to really say in the moment and it was certain that many brilliant things would come later to their minds when they weren't faced with a large chip man trying to talk to them about touching what he claimed was his daughter, there didn't seem to be any resemblance at all. "Sure," was all Paul could say while Elias nodded vaguely. "Now, may I go?" Rose mumbled. It was all she could do just endure instead of attempting to escape the moment entirely and go running for the Hills.

While the boys were still there and Rose was waiting to escape Illya decided to add one more thing before they left. "Jes make sure dat yah all come back and I want all of yah tah have dinner at dis table tahnight. Ef yah can't do dat den I say dat yah have no business spending time wit meh daughter." With a little nod he dismissed them, but they didn't seem to understand his meaning so he waved a hand at them. "Get out of here before I change meh mind."

Rose huffed and slid off of the bench and managed a 'yeah' to Wolf before walking away, the two boys flanking her. The embarrasment was clear on her face and grew worse when Elias leaned on. "Man, was that Chip your guard or something? Why do you call him that weird name?" Rose grit her teeth and sighed. "Just don't worry about it and let's go, he'll come looking if we don't show up for dinner like we're supposed to." Wilds knew that she didn't want that.

The boys and Rose scuttled off leaving Illya with Kalizda. Their younger two had been left with Thomas. It was rather nice to have someone they could trust to watch the kids and Illya knew that Thomas was safe. Discovering the man was safe had been a bit of a fiasco, but at least he had confirmed it. Somehow, despite the fact that their oldest daughter was going out and doing things that a normal young lady should do Kalizda almost looked sad. "Esn't dis what yah want? Yah want our Rose tah be like oter little women her age eh?" Kalizda's explanation was a bit odd, but he thought he understood what she meant. "Ah well...she grows up." With a sigh he glanced at his plate of food and then back to Kalizda. "She grows up too fast."

Both of them sat quietly while they ate. The only sound was the tinking of their spoons hitting the bowls. Illya took a swig of the tea he had with his meal and then he grinned when he set the mug down. I tink dat maybe yah still need partner for dah spa. I go wit yah." He wasn't about to leave her alone all day at the spa. It would be nice to go especially if it was anything like a pleasure house. Besides, she'd made an appointment for two and they couldn't very well waste the space. Illya had made sure to purchase tickets that allowed his entire family and those under his care to enjoy every pleasure available to them here at the lodge.

When Kalizda was ready Illya went with her to the spa. Her double appointment was a little different than he thought it would be. First they sat in odd chairs that had little massage rolling balls in them and the balls would roll along the backs of the legs, neck, and back. At first Illya was a little nervous that sitting on the chair, but it still worked despite his weight. In fact it felt good. While he was relaxing in the heated chair with the small rolling balls going up and down his back he let out a long breath and closed his eyes. While he was relaxing the chair started to recline and then he felt someone start to smear stuff on his face. Illya frowned some and he opened his eyes. Looking over at Kalizda he saw she was getting a green paste on her face and he reached up with one of his fingers and rubbed a spot on his face to find that he had a bit of the green stuff too. Glancing to the woman with a handful more to put on his face he leaned back in the chair and let her smear the rest of his face with the mask.

Once he had a full mask on he got to get up and go change change into a towel for more massage while it soaked into his face. Illya didn't even bother to look at himself in the mirror on the way into the changing room. He'd already seen Kalizda and she looked absurd with the green paste on her face. However long this stuff was supposed to stay on his face he didn't know, but the next massage on his back felt great and then he got to sit in a tub of hot bubbling water with Kalizda.

It was impossible not to grin when he looked at her face. "Yah look like yah been taking lessons from Lohgan how tah eat." Not that he actually looked any better, but he found it funny. They had been at the spa together for nearly 2 hours and then they got out of the tub and had the mask washed off their face. The next part was a foot massage and a thing called a pedicure. Illya had no idea what a pedicure and manicure were, but he decided that if Kalizda had signed herself and Rose up for these that he wouldn't abandon her now.

At first Illya tensed a little when the woman grabbed his lower leg. He had no idea what she was doing until he saw that she had reached for his other leg too and she paused when she noticed it was fake from just a few inches below the knee. "Eh, I'm making sure dere will be someting about meh dat will be hard tah destroy." The metal coating the prosthetic was almost impossible to destroy and he found that to be a bonus even if it was hard enough to knock his brain chip loose. While one lady worked on his foot and lower left leg another one started working his hands. She found some of the scarring that had been hidden by the thick callouses and worked more gently when she felt his fingers twitch slightly.

By the end of the day in the spa Illya couldn't help looking at his finger nails. They were so glossy. Whatever the women had done was odd. He'd never had finger nails like that. He always kept them so short that he barely had nubs, but to have the nails shining in the light was strange. Even the right index fingernail that usually had a somewhat odd crease in it from when he'd split the finger wide open was glossy and smooth.

Illya stepped out the door of the spa and he reached over for Kalizda's hands to see if hers were just as smooth. Like usual the skin was much more soft than his own, but it was softer than usual and her nails had a soft paint on them over the gloss. "Hmm...I tink et looks good on yah. So what was dah reason for dah green stuff?" He understood the massage, oil and smoothing stuff, but he didn't really get what was up with the face mask. It seemed like such an odd thing to do. "Oh," that was the only thing he could think to say after she described the reason for the face mask. "I guess meh face should be prettier and younger looking soon." Chuckling a little shook his head. "I tink dey say dat jes tah see ef women pay dem more. I dun tink et actually works like dat." He didn't care if she wanted to do that for herself, but it sounded an awful lot like a scam of sorts. Green paste couldn't really do all that they claimed it did.

They were barely done with the spa and picked up the youngest two of their children when it was time for dinner. Illya carried Lohgan under one arm and let Cypher grip one of his fingrs on the left hand. Between the two kids he was busy enough, but Kalizda needed a little bit of a break. Their youngest daughter coo'ed happily and she leaned in to gnaw on her father's shoulder. Cypher pulled almost viciously on his Dah's finger. He was anxious to get to the table and have some berries after he ate a good meal and he wanted more of that big bacon.

Rose was already waiting at the table and the boys were sitting with her. Even though Illya had started before Kalizda she was caught up with them by the time he had the youngest two seated and he was settling into a chair. All through the meal Rose was sullen and Illya didn't know why. He hadn't asked that terrible much. He just knew that nothing would deter a boy from bad intentions like knowing that the father had a set time he expected to see his daughter back and that the boy would be attending a meal where he would be close to the daughter and father. In a way it concerned Illya. Had the boys been bad to her? Was that the reason she was being sullen about things and so quiet. He was going to be talking to her after the meal. She just wasn't acting like herself.

When the meal was finally done Rose walked toward their big suite with them, but she still had a sour expression. Illya waited till they were in the family suite to ask her what had happened. "Rose, yah ok? I tink maybe dose boys make trouble."

"No, they were fine. I just don't see why you'd want to have them sit with us." Rose huffed a little and sat down in one of the chairs. She felt a bit angry. "Not like you've been around enough to notice that I can take care of myself."

She was sounding a bit snotty and Illya took a deep breath. He wasn't really sure what to do with girls when they had attitude like that. It wasn't like Rose was a little girl anymore and she was upset about something. "Yah being rude when I ask yah for only someting small. Et es nut so hard tah ask dat dah boys come eat dinner wit us after dah day. Besides, I want tah protect yah. Dere are small tings dat help wit dat."

"I just don't see the point in you doing that. You've been gone off and on and then you get hurt all the time. Not like you were any good at protecting me before." Rose turned her nose up in the air slightly.

This was one of the times that Illya didn't really know what to say. Letting out a sigh he nodded. "Yah right, I dun come home in good shape many times. I'm sorry." Momentarily he debated if he should say more and he decided that he could as long as he withheld some information. "Yah know dat I was General for long time. Dere were some missions dat I could not refuse as General. When I had brain injury and come back witout memory et was because I had chance dat I did nut tink I would get again tah stop Federation. Et didn't work, but nut all tings work as we want. I lose meh leg at Kinte. Dere was no time tah question et. Maybe I could nut protect yah at home so well, but I do meh best. When I'm home I want tah let yah be woman, but I still want tah protect yah. Rose, yah much more important to meh den Pytra. Battle for Kinte I did because I knew dat ef I didn't leave yah dat dah enemy would have come for Pytra and I couldn't protect yah den. I dun go on missions tah leave meh family. I do dem because I know dat ef I didn't meh family would nut be safe."

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

When they got back to the ship 2 days later Illya was a little tired. He was still struggling with having lower energy levels since the brain injury. The day after they had returned home he felt like a lazy old man and he stayed in bed longer. Kalizda had to remind him to take his medicine when he woke up. By lunch time he was finally ready to go out skiing with some of the Pithians. It wasn't something that he was looking forward to, but it had to be done.

Part way through the second time down the larger slope Illya had an absence seizure. He wobbled slightly on the ski's but he managed to pull out of the pattern and make it to the bottom of the hill. They were close to the 25 days on the medicine and he was starting to doubt that it would work.What if he fell into a horrible series of fits? There wasn't anything that they could do about it. With the implant removed he knew there wasn't anything left to stop the sporadic waves. Perhaps the doctors here could give him enough sedatives to stop the seizures, but he knew that they couldn't keep him sedated long enough for the Ehaui to get to him.

Illya only stayed outside a few more hours before he went back to the ship. For several days he limited himself. It was all limited, but he'd somehow managed to stay away from having any serious seizures. Still, the absences made him nervous when they occurred. Even the absences were becoming less frequent and he gradually started to become a little more confident. By the time Kalizda was off her medicine he felt good, he was feeling a little more energetic and he was sure that the medicine was working.

On the first night that they could 'work' Illya had almost forgot and he started to put his boxers on. When he saw the look on Kalizda's face he grinned and pulled them right back off. "I'm glad yah done wit dat medicine. Hopefully et did make yah feel better." Getting under the covers with Kalizda he decided to leave the lights on for a moment while he tried to talk to her in Kaerelean. It seemed that no matter how hard he studied he just couldn't seem to master the language. It was far more difficult than Trader's Tongue had ever been. "Yah beautiful like sunrise after storm." He had taken long enough constructing that sentence that he couldn't help grinning after he'd said it. Anything in Kaerelean was an accomplishment as far as he was concerned.

Reaching across the bed Illya pulled Kalizda a bit closer to himself and he kissed her. In a raspy near whisper he started to sing the song to her that he had memorized in Kaerelean for her. It was perhaps the only string of phrases he could get out to half way express what he felt for her in her own language. By the end of the song he was more than ready to kiss her again, but she was a little faster to get started on that kiss than he'd been. With a chuckle he pulled her on top of himself and he sat up a little bit to kiss her again. "Mmm...yah getting wild. I like dat." Reaching over he turned off the light.

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

They weren't really supposed to land on Pytra unless it was an emergency, but the space rickets were getting bad and Sawyer knew that many of the men wouldn't make it to the next port. If they stayed away from the main sections that Big Man told them to avoid if possible they would lose too many men. However, Big man had said it would be ok if they had an emergency and losing nearly half the crew would be considered an emergency. Not to mention, the captain that Big Man put in place would be among them.

Taking the precious code he typed it into the credential screen when it popped up. They would surely be allowed to land if he used the code that Big Man gave them. No one doubted Big Man's word and he knew if Big Man said ti would work it would.

"Sir, we have a...." glancing over his shoulder the man in charge of the docks raised his eyebrows and then turned back around to face the radio, "a situation at the docks." He wasn't sure how else to describe this. "I think you oughta come look for yourself." The ship was massive and he was pretty sure it was the Nova pirates, but they weren't doing anything crazy yet and he wasn't so sure that they were since they hadn't made any moves yet. They were requesting permission to disembark with their sick and that was unheard of from the Nova Pirates. Perhaps it was a scam of sorts, but he was going to let the General make that call.

Kirit just opened his mouth to take the first bite of his lunch when the call went out over the office radio. Sighing, he hit the button on his intercom, he swapping the message from the docks to a personal line where he could address the workers directly. What kind of a report was that? A situation at the docks and he should come look himself? He was going to have to set the dock workers straight on how to give a better description of the issue other than simply having him show up on a whim with 50 first responders. Was he walking into an enemy? A fire? The plague? Who knew. "What is the issue?" He was able to gather that there was a large and suspect ship allowed to land on the docks and he grit his teeth. Whoever had given clearance for that was going to get a swift talking to as well. "My ETA is 10 minutes. Do not allow anyone t' leave that ship." Once he was done, he swapped signals to their sniper team and had them post up before ordering a squad to report to the designated docking bay. "Surround but do not engage unless fired upon." With that order given, he pulled on his scythe and and checked his pistol before heading out to the skimmer. With in 8 minutes he had arrived at the docks and was approaching the dock workers as his men gathered into their formation around the vessel. "Who gave them clearance t' land, and who did they claim t' be," he asked swiftly.

It didn't sound like the General was too happy about the disturbance and the man didn't know how to describe what he saw and how this all happened. "Well....We've got a ship large enough we had to clear most of the docks for it to land and it looks like trouble. Never seen it here before." The orders came through shortly after and he got the men assembled, a bit more than usual to surround the ship. Taking a pad in hand he waited until Kirit arrived. As he suspected the General was ready to give a talking to whoever let this happen and he couldn't do anything about the situation even if he wanted to. "Sir, I think you ought to read this before you get hot headed at anyone around here. Looks like the clearance was a secret one issued by the previous General, Illya."

The young general took the pad in his hands, shaking his head as he glanced from the ship to the info pad. It looked oddly like the images he had seen of the infamous Nova pirates ship and this had to be some sort of plot or ruse to get them into Pyrta. Then again, Illya was undercover and it wouldn't surprise him if he sent something like this along. Frowning, he read over the clearance numbers again and then glanced back to the dock worker, leveling his gaze. "Did ye think ye might be getting falsified information?" He really was only saying this to make him think about things next time before simply giving clearance to land when things looked strange. "Keep all th' civilians back." With that he turned on his heels and picked up the radio to signal the massive ship in their docks. "Ye open ye one ramp had hatch on the aft of ye ship. Ye send one unarmed man t' speak for ye down th' ramp so ye identity my be verified. Any suspicious movement an' ye will be removed by force." He chose the aft ramp because it was the smallest looking port he could tell and that would limit the number of people able to exit at one time. With the snipers arranged all around the hangar, and men on the ground waiting, Kirit walked over to the designated ramp and waited.

"No, it's not falsified. There were only so many levels of code and this one was the highest. I'd only seen this level of code when Illya flew a private ship." The man wasn't about to question that sort of code. If it was that rare he wasn't about to believe that it could have been wrong, but he knew what Kirit was getting at. Stepping aside he held onto the pad and gulped almost audibly. They would be finding out if the code had been falsified in a short time. As the smallest ramp opened a man came striding down it with a tall and proud expression. Looking Kirit over he sighed. "Where's big man?"

General Illya had flown a pirate ship? When was this? Not that it mattered now, he had to deal with it for better or worse. True or not. He stepped forward as the ramp extended and the hatch opened revealing a singular man strutting down from the belly of the ship. Big man? Given whose name the code have been under he assumes that it must have been Illya. "Ye contact is not here," Kirit said carefully, "I am th' one ye talk to. Who are ye, exactly?"

As he looked the much more scrawny figure over the pirate sneered. "I'm Sawyer. We're just here to trade a few goods and get some healthcare. Big man promised safety, medicine, and trade in all the Alliance Territory. We've been fighting your side for a while. Rob the Federation and sell to the Alliance. Good life and now we're here for medicine. You better plan on keeping Big Man's promise, or we'll have a few words."

Kirit ignored the attitude and let the man spout off, ignoring the snide look with a straight shouldered gaze. It appeared these were, in fact, the Nova pirates and some how Illya, who he could only assume was the 'big' man had contracted with them. Nodding a little, he shifted his weight one hip and signaled silently for the men to lower their rifles but not move otherwise. It looked like they were backing down but the hidden snipers would keep their cross hairs trained until signaled otherwise. "So ye are th' Novas," Kirit said, casually, "If ye pain in th' ass t' Federation that makes us on th' same side. Ye contracted with the big man, an' Alliance contracts are honorable, so ye welcome here t' trade an' f' medical needs so long as ye keep it civil. Are ye th' commander officer aboard?" He needed to know who to deal with if there were any issues.

Since the scrawny fellow they were talking with seemed to be agreeable to the situation the pirate nodded and beckoned to the others on board the ship. Then another question arose and he took a deep breath. "Nope, the commanding officer took sick with the rest of them. I think you'd better let us get some help if you want things to be civil. Big man was always good for his word killing, spoils of war, fighting or promise for living. I don't think you'd much like the way he deals with double crossing. He got command of a whole hell of a lot more than this little Alliance you got here." The Novas were more than aware of the way Big Man was sweeping up the entire fringe and beyond. He was making his way through and they were making little skirmishes here and there to pick up the goods when he gave them the word.

The man was a bit mouthy, not just in attitude, but in sharing valuable information which could be a problem. All he replied to Sawyers puffery was, "I see." Before looking to the others as they began filing off the ship. There seemed to be dozens and they did look ill, but first he needed to know with what exactly. "Aye, ye people welcome t' care, but I need t' know what they are sick with first beyond takin' ye off the dock. I can have medics come here for ye if ye people too sick or make sure they have enough of th' right medicine on hand without callin' another continent for more. Faster help t' tell m' what it is."

"Too long on the ship for some." Sawyer worked his jaw and he stared at the man in front of him. He didn't like him. Everyone knew Big Man would kill for them if he had to. They were his crew and right now his people weren't too helpful with him gone. "We got the space rickets. Little bit contagious when the men don't get enough fresh air. I need to get the ship cleaned out and the vents taken care of. They need off the ship. You gonna keep Big Man's word, or do I need to send him a message saying he's got trouble back in Alliance Territory?"

Space rickets wasn't terribly contagious, or contagious at all from what Kirit remembered from studies however, it would require they be treated off the ship. The little man in front of him could work his jaw all he liked, but it wasn't going to change how things were going to be done. "I tell ye already ye people will get th' help they need," Kirit replied, "An' I will see t' that, but it will be done safely as I need it t'be." They werent in any kind of condition to refuse really, and he knew that. With a another signal, he asked for the radio dispatcher to call for a large transport to ferry those that were sick to the hospital. "Ye take th' transport that arrives in three minutes, an' it take t' the hospital for medicine. All who are sick will need t' be on that transport. Now, ye might have a complaint about that an' lets say ye do decide t' send th' big man a message...well...he might not take t' kindly t' ye bothering him while he works. An' we both know how he works, eh? Because then he is going t' send that right back t' me because I'm th' General of the Alliance." Kirit turned his head as the transport began lining up with the dock and the men parted to allow those who were sick to board. "Ye have medicine an' hot meals waiting f' ye."

 

[aryamajor]

Calysta came back to the table with Cypher's hand in one of hers and his plate in the other, passing a grumpy look Rose and the two Pithian boys on the way. Her eldest daughter probably wasn't happy with her but after discussing things with Illya she had agreed to make that sort of decision as a team. At least he was letting her go with minimal fuss.

She lifted Cypher up by his arm and settled him into the bench before putting the plate housing a large slice of meat in front of him along with his bowl of berries. "Let me cut it for you, hold on." Picking up a knife, she went to work cutting his steak up in bite sized pieces, which she immediately regretted. It created an exhaustive barrage of questions only a boy of five could possibly produce. "Why do yah cut it? Et's just bacon, Mam. Can I do et? Et doesn't look like bacon now. Why yah cut it into squares? That's not how bacon looks. Yah doing it wrong, Mam..."

"It's fine Cypher...I'm cutting it the way Big Bacon is supposed to be cut. Big bacon is different," she explained as she finished the last slice. While her son dug into the meat, satisfied with that explanation, Calysta plopped down in front of her own plate and picked up a spoon to scoop up her own food.

"Rose was heading out so soon," she sighed, "I was hoping she might at least eat breakfast with us." Illya seemed confused by the comment as he took a bite of his food, asking why it was she seemed upset about something like that. Wasn't that what she wanted? "Of course, I do," Calysta replied, poking at her oatmeal, "I want her to go out and do the things she can be safe doing them. I just...I suppose I feel like it all went by too fast and I didn't spend as much time with her as I should have. I thought maybe I could do that today, but she wanted to go with her friends. It's a good thing though." In truth, she had worried after everything if Rose might not adjust well to other people. Growing up with Chips didn't exactly lend to friend making and neither did moving around so much. There was no way she would keep her daughter from seeking that sort of relationship out. When Illya mentioned going to the spa with her, Calysta chuckled. "It's not exactly what you would be used to but it would be fun." She was sure he might find what she had booked a bit strange, but who knows? Maybe he would like it.

They finished up their breakfast and Calsyta left Cypher to play in the indoor park with Papa while she and Illya made their way to the spa. It actually seemed fairly clean and quiet inside, which was nice. What was better was the massage chair they started out in after changing into soft robes. The heated roller balls in the cushy chair worked their way up and down her spine first in pattering movements and then, in slow smooth circles while one of the attendants painted her face in a nice, cooling cream. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the relaxing feeling, though occasionally, she would peep over at Illya to see how he was faring. There weren't any objections so far, even with the face cream, which was pleasantly surprising. When it came time for the actual massage, she gladly laid out on the table and let the woman work at her back which was particularly tight along with her hips. The Pithian woman bent her leg this way and that trying to work out the knots and ease the tension her joints.

Feeling much more at ease, Calysta wrapped herself in a towel and joined her Chip in the warm water pool. She was interesting to see him so comfortable in the jacuzzi. She had never seen him take an actual bath and he typically stayed away from water he couldn't float in easily. What was more interesting was that he still had the spa mask pasted on his face. Between his bare tan chest and his green slathered face, he looked rather like a pumpkin with a wide grin as he teased her about what she looked like. "Oh, is that so?" She nudged him playfully in the water and then leaned back beside him against one of the rumbling jets, "You look a bit like a pumpkin in that green face." He knew she was teasing and she couldn't help but giggle as they just spent time together in peace.

When it was time for the mani-pedi, probably the girliest of any of the treatments she had selected. In fact, she hadn't had her nails done since before Lohgan was borne or even conceived, and while they were services she enjoyed on occasion she had no idea how Illya would like them. As they settled into the chairs and their attendants guided their feet to the little ottoman to be scrubbed, it dawned on her that one of them was about to get a very intersting surprise. Sure enough the discovery of his metal leg came as a shock to the women and Calysta chuckled, a smile stretching over her face that cracked the drying clay mask and sent flakes tumbling into the foot spa below. The attendant gave her a look and she kept right on chuckling. "Sorry..."

By the time they were done, she felt much better and it had been a good time with Illya. His hand encompassed hers on the way back to the cabin and she couldn't help but enjoy the soft feel of his hand. When he asked about the face mask, she tilted her head. "Well, its a clay mask where the minerals are supposed to make your skin healthy and keep it younger looking. Make it glow nicely." He went on to say how he didn't believe they worked and it was just to make women pay more. Perhaps that was so, but it made her face feel nice. His little opinion made her smile and she nodded. "I don't know you look pretty refreshed. Even more handsome than before." Even if he always looked good to her, there was nothing wrong with her telling him so and maybe believing it was a bit true about the face mask too.

Dinner passed decently enough, Rose came with her two new friends and stayed quiet through most of the meal before it was time to retreat back to the cabin. On the way, Calysta took to swinging Cypher out with her arms, though it strained her muscles to do much in that way. He giggled and laughed as his feet left the ground and he could land in snow pile after snow pile. When they got to the cabin, she helped her little boy get ready for bed, which mostly involved standing there while he brushed his teeth. "Uhuh...1 more minute....keep going," Calysta said as she watched him bare his teeth to the mirror. "Alright, done...go hop in bed and I will come to tuck you in."

As she wandered down the hall toward Cypher's little cot, Rose passed looking slightly red in the face and her hands balled into fists. Frowning, Calysta deviated and followed Rose down to her room. The door closed nearly in her face with a hard pop, and she jumped back, blinking slightly before grabbing the handle and pushing it open. Rose was inside plopping down on her bed with an unreadable expression on her face and Calysta grew worried. She had been quieter at dinner and now she looked flustered. Had something happened with the boys?

"Is something wrong?" Calysta asked, bracing for the worst.

Rose's head snapped up to Calysta and she crossed her arms before glancing away again. After a moment of heavy silence and a sigh, Rose dropped her arms, placing them beside her on the quilted bed. At first she had been angry with Wolf. Who wouldn't be? He was hardly there sometimes and when he was he just seemed like he didn't want to spend time unless he felt guilty. It had been Wolf who saved her but it had been Kalizda who had been there all this time. She had been in the hospital, with her when she was sick, helped her with studies. Even when Wolf left her on missions and she cried when she thought nobody could hear. And then Wolf had to go and say something like that.

"Nothing," she said quickly.


'Nothing' sounded very much like something and Kalizda knew she would have to bite the "It wasn't anything to do with the boys was it?"


“No. It wasn’t. Why are you and Wolf so worried about that? I am fine. I can take care of myself so you don’t have to worry about it.” Even as she spoke it, she knew it wasn’t true. Kalizda had been there and now she was grown up and it was time for her to start taking care of herself by herself. “You or Wolf don’t have to worry about it. Not with everything you have to do. You can trust me to take care of myself.”

Rather than retreating, Calysta came further into the room and sat on the bed next to Rose, trying to figure out where all of this was coming from. Gathering her thoughts, she waited for a moment before replying. “We do trust you, Rose and you are growing up. Sometimes it still amazes me.”
“Then why does Wolf feel the need to limit where I go and who I am with? It’s not fair or smart. He says he’s always going off because he’s trying to protect us. That he lost his leg and everything because of that. If that were the case, wouldn’t it be better and if he was with us or just let me protect myself so he doesn’t have to deal with it? He isn’t really my dad and you aren't my mom technically.”

Calysta let her say what she wanted for a moment, trying not to interrupt, then sighed. She got the sense that something similar had been said to her father and there was a few things she needed to understand. “No, not by blood, he isn’t your father and I’m not your mother. You didn’t come out of me but I did give you all of me and so does Wolf. He saved you from the desert that night because it was his duty and he is a good man. When you were well enough, it was him who asked me why I hadn’t brought you home earlier because he loved you. It wasn’t because of you that he kept leaving home, Rose. You were the reason he always came back.”

Rose looked stricken for a moment and then tears welled in her eyes. She hadn’t thought of it that way, not even when he said why he left so much. Calysta slipped an arm around her daughter’s shoulder, knowing she couldn’t understand everything…that Illya had a family once before and what happened to his little girl…but maybe it would be a bit better now. “Now, I know you love Wolf too and he wants you to be safe. Get some sleep and tomorrow talk to him, okay?”

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

Rose shuffled in to Illya's office, her eyes down cast and her cheeks a little pink. She both did and didn't want to do this but the sooner she said something the sooner it would be over. Coming to the front of his desk, she took a deep breath and put the tips of her fingers on the carved desk top, feeling the curves and lines of the artwork before managing to look up to Wolf. "Can I talk to you, Wolf?"

The sound of little feet scraping along the carpet caught Illya's attention. Looking up from his work he saw Rose and frowned. She looked upset. When she asked to speak with him, he nodded. "What es et? Yah have trouble wit Pitians?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head, " The Elias and the others are fine. I just wanted....I wanted to talk with you." She sat down in the small chair on the other side of his desk and folded her hands over her lap. A long pause sat between them and she tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear before trying to start again. "No, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. For what I said in the cafeteria and that I'm sorry for having said it."

Illya waited for her to speak and then he waited a little longer after she apologized. "Oh, I forgive yah." He wasn't sure why she looked ashamed now. Was there a reason that she was so upset over this? Considering her lack of understanding he didn't think the things she said had been unreasonable. Maybe, they hurt a bit, but he could understand why she felt that way.

Rose perked up some, but it was more in confusion than it was actual relief. He forgave her? "Just like that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing, "But I...was a pretty terrible. And you're...well...you're Wolf. You're my father." Her eyes were getting a little watery now and she looked at Wolf.

Somehow this seemed to be much more complex to Rose. Illya wasn't sure why it had to be so complex. "Eh....yeah, jes like dat." Gradually his eyebrows pulled together and he blinked a few times. "I dun understand why yah make dis difficult. Meh little Rose es meh first and I love yah no matter what. When I say dat I forgive yah dats what I mean."

Rose nodded and wiped at her eyes, relieved that it had been as Kalizda had said it would be. How had she gotten so lucky? Getting up from her chair, she started to walk away since there wasn't else she could say until she suddenly turned back around and hugged Wolf around the neck with the ferocity she used to when she was a young girl. "Thank you Wolf. I love you too."

It seemed that was it and Illya watched the girl get up to leave. He really didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was he must have helped. Illya had almost turned around in his chair to go back to work at his desk when he felt Rose suddenly leap on him and wrap her arms around his neck. Carefully Illya brought one hand up and wrapped it around her back to give her a one arm hug. "I love yah too."


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

Going back to the ship everyone was feeling a little relieved and refreshed in some way save for Rose who stayed fairly quiet for the most part. Priscilla felt particularly glad to be back though. She had enjoyed getting off the ship and stretching her legs some in the snow. Pyrta didn't have beautiful weather persay. It was either sunny or not. Demos had been pleasant for an island planet, but it was this new place she found herself happiest. It reminded her of Japan in winter and while that would normally make her a little homesick, she couldn't help but love the look of the snow stretching for miles. Harry would have loved to see it too. Thinking of him was something digging at a old wound and other times, particularly as of late, it had made her smile. Just the small things though. Things like finding his watch among her clothes or the pressed flower in her journal. Maybe that was how things got better.

Two things that had certainly helped were the Monroe's. The councilwoman ran a tight ship, but it was also lively and so full of the things she wanted to have with Harry at some point before he died. Cypher, their little boy was a wild child, but sweet. He often brought her 'presents' in the forms of grass, flowers, rocks, bugs, and the ever important tarantula. She enjoyed looking after Lohgan too. The girl was nothing but sunshine unless she was sick and giggled at the funny faces no matter who was making them. It wasn't hard to fall for them after helping Calysta with them all of the time. Rose wasn't to be forgotten, as she was smart as a whip and very talented. The girl had thought to be comfortable enough to come to her about wearing some makeup. "Kalizda doesn't wear much and I thought you might help me?" She had gladly shown her how to put on very modest eyeshadow, lip stick, and mascara. "I always wanted a little girl," she told her. Rose knew about what happened, at least in part and had kindly told her that there was still plenty of time while she was being made over. "That's very sweet of you. I hope so."

Later that day she had seen a rare moment between Cypher and his sister. Normally, the boy passed by his baby sister without noticing her much but Lohgan was growing and it was being more obvious. She was crawling and that meant running into her brothers playing territory, which was dangerous ground in some ways. She had scuttled over the living room floor to Cypher's old snake toy and picked it up to chew away on it. The moment the boy turned around the corner to see his sister holding his toy he snatched it away from her mouth and bopped her over the head. Thomas had to send his grandson into time out for 20 minutes until he stopped stomping his feet and sniffling angrily for having been corrected. By the time he was calmed down the world was right again and he went back to playing, but not without sending side eyes to his giggling sister as she explored the room.

Yes, it was between the councilwoman, her children along with Thomas and Illya that she found herself more at home. Less like she had lost her home and her family. Illya had managed to surprise her several times over, not just on earth but a few times since. Her puppy, which she never saw coming had become an ever-present companion. It was an incredibly smart German Shepherd and while it was no replacement for the dog she lost on Terra, Yujin made a good friend. The puppy that kept her feeling alone at night as it curled up on the end of her bed. Particularly, when she could hear the giggling in the council woman's bedroom accompanied by sweet whispers and the telling sound of a groaning mattress. It was the night that was the loneliest but the kindness of Illya and his family was what made getting up in the morning bearable.

Calysta was giggling when Illya pulled her close and she couldn't stand staying away from him anymore. The medicine was done and they were free to do what they pleased again...at least until her period next week. "I think it did," she whispered to him, "We'll know next week if it worked, yeah? But for now..." She trailed off and wrapped an arm around his chest to kiss him. She had missed her Chip this way. Sure, she had been able to hang out with him in other ways, but she hadn't realized how much she had come to want those sweet little refrains of a Kaerelean song in her ears and sound of him saying is little bird's name. The sound of his raspy singing voice always brought a smile to her face. He sang just for her and she couldn't help but feel giddy. "Let's enjoy it while we can."



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

Kirit managed to get the pirates on their way to the hospital before ordering that the ship be sanitized and going back to his office. He would have to arrange for extra security around the docks, see to it that flights were diverted, and then stay posted on the status of their wily guests. He had half a mind to send Illya a message to tell him to come claim his wayward crewmates, but that was mostly irritation talking. He had plans with Tabit the next day and now he would be bound to Pyrta instead of getting to go out to the old ruins of Reylia or take her out to Kinte. He had even arranged for Doris, the plump little Terran woman, to watch the kids overnight for them.

Tabit had been working in entirely too hard with all three boys and then himself being laid up with bone aches. He had found that if he gave her at least a little time a week to do something outside with him or just be without the kids, she tended to fare better. Still, he wasn't sure he had been doing a very good job of the husband thing these days with so much going on and after the surgery. Rubbing at his temples, he smoothed back his hair, and worked away to salvage what was left of his afternoon.

When the pirates were well taken care of and the flights diverted, he lit out of his office and zipped into town, managing to catch the store as it was closing. There was only one set of flowers left in the bucket outside, a bunch of purple daisies, and he paid for them quickly before going home. As soon as he entered their cabin, Kirit put on a smile at the sight of his wife, flaxen-haired and beautiful in the living room. Sweeping in, he kissed her cheek and then presented the somewhat scraggled looking flowers to her. "Ye still prettiest woman I ever see," he said, "An' ye make th' best looking babies too. Ye know they don't get those looks from me." With quick kisses to the tops of his boy'ss heads, he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her close. "How ye like t' have a night out, yeah? I take ye to the nicest room in the diplomat's quarters an' I get us some food. We drop th' boys of at Dora's an' just go." It wasn't the night he had planned, but maybe it would be enough to surprise her.

 

[Silence]

Tabit had spent her day chasing the boys around the house. If one of them wasn't crawling up the stairs, another was digging in her kitchen cupboards and the third was swishing his hands and anything else he could get a hold of in the toilet. It felt like she had barely pulled one boy away from trouble and she was finding the next one and the cycle repeated all day long. She didn't get anything done and it was almost time to start making dinner. Days like these were the ones where she wondered why she had to have triplets. They were wonderful boys and she loved them, but she was also tired.

As a last resort Tabit shoved all three boys into one play pen. They only had soft toys in it, so she wasn't too worried about them beating on each other. While she was busily trying to pick up the last of the boys' messes around the house she heard Kirit's heavy steps sounding as he walked up the steps of the porch. She wasn't ready for him to be home yet. He was early and she didn't even get dinner started.

He had never been unkind about dinner and he'd never yelled at her for not having it at least started when he got home, but she still felt a little stressed about it. Tabit was learning in time that her husband was a kind man. When he walked through the door she wiped a blonde strand of hair out of her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she let out a little puff of breath. So much for the work to try and get done before he came home. Now that the third son's leg had healed most of the way he was most curious and troublesome of them. Meeting her husband's gaze she narrowed her eyes slightly. It looked like he was hiding something. Suddenly he produced a limp bouquet of flowers from behind his back and she gasped a bit in surprise before giggling. "They're lovely." Leaning a bit closer fora moment she kissed him and then started toward the kitchen to get a vase to put the flowers in.

While she was busy looking for a vase she could hear the loud smacks that Kirit made when he kissed the boys on their heads. Each of them giggled and squealed with delight. They loved to see their dad come home and they wanted all the attention that he would give them. Tabit had just pulled the vase out of the cupboard and then she felt Kirit's arms wrap around her waist. "Ooh..." Turning in his arms she faced him with a big grin on her face. "I think that sounds like a wonderful plan." She was more than ready for a night off. Now that she thought of it, he had taken her to do something special almost every week. "You're going to spoil me." With a mischievous grin she slipped one of her hands to the top of his belt and pulled his shirt out of his pants. Slipping a hand inside his shirt she ran it up to his chest and chuckled. "Suppose that goes both ways hmmm? Maybe I just have a little plan too. I might want to spoil a General."

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

While Kirit was busy dropping the boys off for the night, Tabit put on one of her favorite dresses and swept her hair up into a soft bun with plenty of curls left to frame her face. When she had finished making her hair Tabit put on a thin line of grey eyeliner and some soft pink eye-shadow. Slipping into a pair nude colored strappy sandals she trotted down the stairs and took the limp bouquet of flowers into her hands again and then stepped out the front door. Closing it behind herself she locked it and then waited for Kirit to return to pick her up. She was more than ready for their date and she wanted to look impressive when he came to get her.

As the ship came to a halt she stepped closer toward it with a big grin. "You think you're ready for this?" Despite her best efforts at looking sultry she ended up grinning like a goon and slipped into her seat in the ship. "Hmm....Kirit, where are you going to take me to get food?" She knew there were a few favorite places of theirs, but she didn't know which one he'd chosen.

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

The days had passed slowly and they were getting close to the 25 day mark. Illya spent a little more time outside skiing, but he was still cautious and made sure to sleep plenty. Last thing he needed was to have a break down in his health and start seizing. Even if Illya didn't like the cold he was getting used to it a little more as the days stretched on and on. When he got home he would take care of the animals while Kalizda fixed dinner. The bear would go outside and play in the snow with the cat loping after him and the bird would fly at will, but it would return when it heard him call it back. Quroz had gotten used to the man and the bird was far more gentle. It was even getting used to him riding it when he tucked the wings to be sure that Quroz wouldn't take flight. Illya figured that after the bird got used to him riding on it then they could work on flying a little more. The first attempt had been a bit wild. With the exercise done for the animals, Illya put them all back into the part of the ship that belonged to them and then portioned out their feed before heading into the main part of the ship.

Cypher was busily playing in the living room and Lohgan was crawling around behind him. She'd already grabbed one of his favorite toys and he took a quick glance around the room for his papa. Papa Thomas wasn't there and so he decided to take his chance. Running up to his sister the boy made a fist and slammed it into the top of Lohgan's head. The force of the hit set Lohgan off balance and she tipped forward from her crawling position and planted her face in the carpet. Hastily the boy snatched the toy from his little sister's chubby little hands and then started running. Lohgan had a shocked expression as she sat up and her big green eyes started to well with tears as her lower lip trembled. Then the great sobs started and she reached for her father who was already on his way.

Snatching his daughter up Illya wiped at her tears. "No, yah dun cry. We gonna get yah broter and yah gonna show him dat et hurts and yah can do dah same." Despite his words she still sniffled and whimpered into his shoulder. Illya found Cypher in his room and he looked at the boy. "Yah sit down on dah floor and Lohgan es gonna hit yah. Den yah know dat et hurts. Maybe yah dun like tah fight so much ef yah know dat yah dun get away wit et." The boy started to scream like he was going to be murdered and it frightened Lohgan at first, but Illya held her and pointed to Cypher's head. "Yah hit him hard. Ef he keeps wailing like dat yah hit him in dah mout. Den he learn nut tah hit yah." Finally, the little girl gathered her courage and frowned before she raised her fist and hit her brother in the side of his neck. She was a terrible aim, but the shock of it seemed to have the desired effect on her brother.

Calysta was in the kitchen finishing up the last of the dishes from lunch when she heard the heavy thuds of her sons feet scampering down the hallway followed by the pitiful wails of his sister from the living room. What in the Wilds had they gotten into now? No sooner did she managed to get her hands dried off on the dish towel, did she see Illya's broad frame pass by the door carrying their daughter in hot pursuit of their son. That spoke even more trouble. Sighing, she put the last dish away and followed after them down the hall at a quick pace, dodging the pack of dogs following after then. "Move, Elijah....Aymos sit....good boy...Monster..." She nudged the pups with her shoe and finally made it to Cypher's door way just in time to to see Illya bent with their daughter she was allowed to take a plump fisted wallop at her brother. Her mouth slipped open as she stepped into the room and she crossed her arms. "What in the Wilds is going on?" she demanded over Cypher's cries.

It wasn't going to work so well with them trying to yell over the sound of Cypher and so Illya motioned to Kalizda to make room with a nod of his head. "We go out to dah living room and let Lohgan play den I tell yah about et." Illya started down the hallway and it gradually got a little quieter as Cypher realized he wasn't going to get coddled. "He'll be fine. Cypher jes hit Lohgan on dah head and so I hold her and talk to her and den I have her hit him back. Dis way he learn dat et hurts and et es nut good way tah settle disagreement."

She followed him, jaw set into the living room where some sort of explanation would be given. It had better be a good one too. She didn't allow her children to hit one another and she certainly wasn't going to encourage them to smack each other. When they got away from Cypher's fading wails, Illya began to explain and she shook her head. "Illya, I don't want them hitting each other like that at all. They need to learn to settle their differences without hitting first and then to defend themselves. Not the other way around."

"Well, dats nut how I do et. First dey learn consequence of hitting and fighting like dat. Den dey know et hurts and dey learn tah govern demselves. Den I teach dem how tah fight and dey will be fine. Et es someting dey will do whether yah let dem do et now or later. Et es better dey learn hitting es painful now. Ef dey learn et when yah nut dere yah may nut be able tah protect dem and den dey get in much more trouble. I let dem hit each oter tah learn." Illya set Lohgan down as they reached the living room and he held Kalizda's gaze steady. This was one thing he wasn't going to back down. "I learn dis way and et was good for meh."

"There is a consequence. Going to the corner works just fine. I learned that way and I came out perfectly able to defend myself without my father and knowing when to use my fists," she said squarely, "I don't want them hitting each other. I can barely contain Cypher at the weight he is now and what do think is going to happen if I have to pull them apart?" He could reason all he wanted to but this wasn't something she wanted to negotiate on. She wanted her children to learn to solve their problems with words first and then fists if they had to.

Illya shrugged, "Well den when yah take care of dem yah do et dah way yah want tah." There wasn't a whole lot he could say about it if she wasn't going to do it the way he was going to. He'd just given her perfectly good reasons for the way he did things.

Calysta shook her head. Did he really just suggest he was going to do what ever he wanted to do? "No, they need consistency when what they are being taught. We can't let this become a divided issue so they become confused. That will just make things worse. "They don't need to be hitting each other Illya. One hits one, then the other takes another hit, and then another in retaliation. When does it end? See your idea works only if one of them is willing to stop."

Having been a child that experienced that particular kind of self punishment Illya wasn't so sure that Kalizda's idea was accurate. "Dey will bot learn dat dah process es nut good. Yes, dey hit each oter a lot dah first few times, but soon dey will make peace because a fight es nut good, but yah do what yah want. I have meh own way."

"Yes, well, they're our children," Calysta replied, her tiny hands clenching and unclenching as she resisted the urge to get a little louder. Maybe then he might listen. "Not just yours. You might have your own way and I'm trying to tell you what I think is right and important, which is consistency. Not consistent in only your way. They aren't growing up on Qouti, they're growing up somewhere completely different and that might require a different approach."

Illya nodded slowly. "Yes, dey're our children. We do many tings dah way yah people do. Dis es someting I teach dem in meh ways." With a tone of gentle finality he simply turned his gaze from Kalizda and took his seat in the living room again. "Dun worry, et works."

Calysta's gaze was anything but gentle when she met it back. He had simply dismissed her as if what she was saying was of no consequence at all. If that was the way he wanted to be about it, then he could be. She would simply send them to him every time there was a fight, and she knew it would happen often since this was going to be encouraged now and he usually spent a large portion of the day training in the past. He didn't know how wild the kids could be on any given day. This was only a taste of it. Without so much as a word, she turned on her heels and marched back to the kitchen to finish what she was doing, though the galley door slammed a bit in its frame behind her.

For the rest of the day Illya read the most recent news and reports from Pytra. Everything they got here was a few days old. What had happened to his people was almost more than he could bear to think about, but he had to know how they were doing. Many of them had moved back into their homes. Ehvan by all reports was barely hanging onto life. It seemed that he was teetering on the edge of death for quite some time.

There was no telling when Ehvan would improve or die. It was starting to make Illya want to rush the training and just get home. By now he was good enough at the skiing that he was starting to lay out plans for the training to be complete. At least the Pithians didn't need much training. They had stayed just as mean as they were during the war. They didn't have to be here much longer. Illya didn't shut his pad with the plans for the rest of the month and next month's training until he heard Kalizda call out that dinner was ready. He was feeling accomplished because he was sure that his plans had laid out everything that they would need to do before he left for home. That would make this trip feel so much better. Just to know that he was going home. It was Pytra and he'd gotten an exciting piece of news with everything else. All he had to do was save it for tonight after they got in bed.

Cypher raced past his father to get into the kitchen for food. He was hungry and he hummed almost the whole way there. It was all Illya could do to keep from laughing. On her brothers heels was Lohgan crawling along with little squeaks. Illya leaned over and picked his little girl up to walk her into the kitchen and dining room a little faster. By the time she was buckled into her little seat Kalizda and already placed a few little bites in front of her and had a bottle ready. The girl happily started to shove bites into her mouth and stuff them into her cheeks like a squirrel. Their son was merrily scooping large spoons full of meat bites and gravy into his mouth.

Without saying anything Illya served a plate for Kalizda while she tried to cut up the chunks of meat a bit smaller for Cypher. Then Illya served a plate for Priscilla and then Thomas before he served himself. Once everyone had food Illya started with the first bite of his. It tasted so good after a long day. "Mm...dis es good. Tank yah." Glancing toward Kalizda he thought she looked a little serious, but perhaps she was concentrated on something.

Whatever she was focused on, Kalizda was terribly serious about it. Whenever Illya would catch her gaze or try to smile she would just glare at him. He had no idea why she would be doing that. It wasn't like he had been seizing today. They were both worried about it, but he didn't have any big seizures, just a lot more absences than usual. After dinner Illya helped clean up the dishes and then he played with the kids while Kalizda did her reading and work for the night. By the time the kids were tired out it was near Kalizda and Illya's bedtime too, so he put the kids to bed with Kalizda and then went to their room to get ready. Besides, he had a few things he wanted to talk to her about before they went to sleep.

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

It was time for bed and Illya had just finished putting Cypher and Lohgan to bed. Kalizda seemed to be tired, or something. Illya didn't think too much of it. Since he was feeling pretty good and they were so close to the 25 day mark he was sure he would be fine. There was still that little nagging feeling in the back of his mind. What if it only worked for a time? He'd tried different treatments as a child only to have many of them fail. If the same thing happened here it would be disastrous. In many ways he felt paralyzed by the circumstance. If he tried to get to the Ehaui there would be no help at all during the transportation and that could take some time and if he stayed here it could turn into a prolonged disaster. By the time he had himself stripped down and in bed his mind had already switched gears. Kalizda was taking a while and when she finally crawled into the bed he wrapped an arm around her waist, but she didn't react like she normally did. "What's wrong?"

Calysta slid out of her tunic and into her fuzzy pajama pants with the flyer print on them. They were a favorite since she had been on the Pithian planet and for the last month since sex had been off the menu. Shimmying into her pants, she reached for one of Illya's undershirts and dropped it over her head. The shirt was practically a dress on her, swallowing her thin frame whole. Good. She was Fort Pyrta. She cast the bed a quick glance, to find he was already climbing in and she half shrugged before marching into the bathroom to brush her teeth slowly as possible. The longer she took, the more she could find the patience not to say anything else on the subject. Her tooth brush worked furiously over her teeth ,then she spat into sink, rinsed, and the retreated to the bed where she climbed in and pulled the covers high. With her back turned to Illya, she rolled on her side....only to feel him slip an arm around her waist. What was wrong? Calysta fluffed up her pillow, gritting her teeth and sighed. "You're just now asking that?" She had made her ire quite clear that night at dinner, at least she thought it was, but maybe he had just written that off too. "I'm mad."

"You're just now asking that?" She sounded kind of irritated the way she said it and Illya froze in place. Then she went on and had to state that she was mad. By her tone he'd figured that out, but what she was mad about he didn't know. "Eh..." These were the times that made Illya nervous. He could always ask why she was mad, but he knew that if she was this mad she might expect that he knew why and it could make her angrier. Not asking why she was mad was equally dangerous. How a man should proceed in these sort of situations was never clear. There was no tactical advantage to be had, or gained. It was better to just give up and let her be mad for a while. "Well, eh...." Illya was still stumbling over his choices and he finally decided to bite the bullet and just ask her. Pushing up on one elbow he leaned a little closer to try and look at her face and then the lights went off. She flicked the switch off on him. "How mad are yah?"

Pitched in the dark, she sighed again and scooted away slightly, trying not to entice herself in to folding over on this point. These were her children she was going to raise them together with him, not one tradition over the other because he just laid down what he wanted and walked away. "Mad enough," she remarked, pulling the covers high, "It's hard work to have sex and to raise kids when your husband decides to do whatever he wants when it comes to disciplining them and writes of what his wife thinks or tries to tell him."

Without being able to see her face it was hard to tell if he should move away. Illya reached over her and flicked the switch back on. "What yah talking about? Dat's nut what happened."

"Isn't it?" she puffed, pulling the covers higher, "You did what you wanted to do when it came to the kids, I disagreed, and when you didn't like my answer, you decided to do whatever you wanted anyways. You may have been raised that way, and turned out alright, but there are some big differences. They don't live on Qouti, most of their friends will probably not be Chippeqouti, and when you were raised, it wasn't your siblings you were hitting. Your sister was far older than you. I'm afraid it also might teach them that I shouldn't be listened to, because their father does what he wants. I can hardly control Cypher when he's wild as it is and I don't have the convenience of just picking him up and hauling him off anymore." With all that said, whether he liked to hear it or not, she reached over and flicked off the light again.

"No," Illya protested, but it didn't do any good. Kalizda seemed to think he hadn't listened to her at all. "I listen to yah, but I dun agree. We dun have tah always agree, but I agree dat we shouldn't argue in front of dah kids." Illya was trying hard to think of another way to explain his reasoning. "Kalizda, I tink dat ef dey dun learn young what fighting can do, dat dey will do et when dey get older and den consequences will be worse. Maybe, we make deal on dis. We ask dah kids ef dey bot want tah fight and ef dey do I get dem gloves tah hit each oter wit. When I got older dat es what Riyan and Asha gave meh and Maks tah use."

Calysta listened and waited for a long moment, gathering her thoughts on what he was saying. This was something he was not going to back down on and neither was she really, so it was a compromise or complete divergence. If the children were asked if they wanted to fight and they agreed to it, that was one thing. It wouldn't be one parent telling them to do it over the other and it would be their choice to duke it out or forgive. The gloves would be better too. Swallowing, she shifted in the bed to look up at him, her hair falling all over the place on the pillow. "If they agree to fight and that's what they want to do to settle whatever disagreement they have, then with the gloves it will be better. But I want them to understand that not fighting is an option to. We make them understand that."

If Cypher was anything like Illya thought he might be the boy would only choose to fight when he thought he could get the upper hand. However, that wouldn't last long. Cypher was a little too scared of getting hit back. Lohgan was fearless in many ways and she'd been thumped a few times. It didn't seem like such a surprising idea that perhaps Lohgan would be the scrapper in time. "Ok, den no fighting until we have gloves for dem. When dey have gloves dey decide tah fight or nut."

"Aye, I agree." Calysta nodded, satisfied with the accord they had reached and after a few minutes, leaned over to grace Illya's cheek with a kiss. She may not always agree with him, but she did love him more than he knew.

Since they were past the little disagreement Illya decided to break the good news. Good news was always welcome in his book. "Kalizda..." Gently stroking her hair he leaned closer to her again and kissed her gently. "I have good news." He thought she looked surprised and he winked. "Today I get message from dah Chippequoti. Dey have lifted dah exile and dey dun ask yah tah return, dey make plea dat yah return and meh. Chippequoti made vote and dere were many dat ask for us tah come back. So many dat dah elders all make vote to bring us back. Nut one elder say no." That was about as good as news could get and Illya grinned broadly at her. "I know dat someday dey would see yah should come back to dem. Dere es no replacement for meh little bird."

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

Day 25 rolled around and Illya was still doing well with the exception of the frequent absence seizures. They were almost daily and sometimes they were multiple times a day, but he wasn't having them long enough to fall over very often. Illya was about to announce that he and Kalizda should have a party of sorts, but she was on her period and he couldn't very well do what he had thought about. However, the medicine seemed to work well for her and she didn't have a period nearly as vicious as the past cycles had been. Instead, Illya had plenty of time to think about ways to celebrate the medicines and the progress they had made.

When Kalizda was at last done with her period and the medicine she took and his medicine were both a confirmed success he made a little extra plan for their evening. Illya made a plate of snacks and then he had a jar of little rocks to bet. Instead of being in bed when she came out of the bathroom from brushing her teeth, he was dressed in his pajamas and he set out the food and stones in the middle of the bed. "We celebrate dat yah medicine work and so does meh medicine." Once she was settled on the bed he leaned closer to her and kissed her on the forehead. "We jes have 7 more weeks till we go home." Momentarily he went blank, but he picked up where he was at quickly again. "Now, dis es jes some little party. We have special treats dat I make. Yah dad show meh how tah make dis soft chocolate, eh....fudge? Den I make little caramels and we have some honey and almonds tah eat too." They were all sweet foods, but he didn't mind eating something fattening every now and then.

The grin got bigger on his face when he picked up a little piece of the fudge and held it up to her mouth for her to eat it. "Yah like et?" Satisfied with her answer he took a piece of fudge from her and let it melt in his mouth. Once he'd swallowed it, Illya pointed to the rocks. "Dese are for bets.We play game where we make bets about stories we tell. Dis es Chippequoti game, but I make et more exciting."

Pouring the little rocks out of the jar he divided them into two equal piles and then he set a rock out in the center of the bed. "I make first bet. I tell yah story about meh and den yah make bet ef yah tink ets true. Ef yah tink I lie den yah ask more questions and I make meh bet bigger. Ef yah catch meh lying tah take all meh rocks I bet. Ef yah bet on trut and dat es what I tell den yah keep yah rocks and I lose rocks I bet. Den ets yah turn." Since she seemed to understand the rules well enough he nodded and then continued. "Dis es where I make et more exciting. I say dat when one of us lose a round because we lie and we nut sneaky enough tah lie about et, den we lose some cloting." No matter who won, or lost it would be a good outcome. Besides, it was one way to talk a little bit about when they were younger without it feeling like it was pressured. Since he was starting the round off he couldn't help grinning. "Hmm...I tink I tell yah story of meh school days. I only go tah school for two years and I liked et very much." Keeping his gaze steady on her he waited for her to say something and then prompted her. "Dis es trut or lie? Yah make yah bet." However many stones she bet he was ready to match. That was how this game went. Illya couldn't help grinning when she made her bet. He was pretty sure that he would win this game.

 

[aryamajor]

Kirit grinned at his wife’s playfulness. If it was one thing he knew, it was Tabit was a force to be reckoned with both in and out of the bedroom, and it always give him a little tingle when she looked at him like that. “Aye, ye take good care of m’ Tabit an’ ye best woman,” he chuckled as her fingers tickled at his chest under his shirt. “Ye always crafty with ye plans too.” Grinning, he pulled her into a kiss, wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. A fit of playfulness came over him too and he picked her up, spinning her to face the living room as they kissed and then booped her on the bottom with a gentle nudge toward the bedroom. “Ye go make ye’self how ye like an’ I take the kids t’ Dora.”

Once she was well on her way up the stairs he began the long, and often arduous process of gathering up the boys things. He hadn’t really know how much it took to take care of one baby. There were diapers, wipes, extra clothes, jars of food, bottles of milk, formula, burping cloths, and bibs…medicines…toys…blankets and pajamas…tiny spoons…the list went on and on. He gathered up everything the boys would need for their overnight stay, dividing it up perfectly even and in three separate color-coded bags before piling into the flyer before returning in to the playpen for the actual babies.

“Ye getting heavy,” he grinned as he lifted all three from the pen in one fell swoop, “C’mere.”

Azar’ah grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked while Hanyah was chewing on his shoulder with one sharp little tooth poking through his gums. Myshael sat happily tucked between the two laughing over his brothers. “Ye all just a mess,” he chuckled as he strapped them into their seats.

With the bags and babies in hand, Kirit started up their flyer and zipped across the continent over the fields of tall red grasses. It would be long before the harvest which he would have to help with and it also wouldn’t be long until they had to purchase a new flyer. His was a second hand job he had fixed up himself and it wasn’t meant for a family of five. With the boys and their gear he could feel the engine dragging a bit along with the weaponry in the storage compartments, then when Tabit was added in the tiny flyer was crammed. If the boys got much bigger in the near future, which he figured was bound to happen, he would be going to Kinte to find another more suitable one.

It didn’t take long to get the boys to Dora who was waiting for them out front with a pack of other children both Kaerelean and Chippeqouti hovering at her feet. She was some what of an angel when it came to the kids around the continent. The woman was always armed with goodies and tons of time to spare for watching after them. Almost a bit like a day care, but she never asked for payment once and genuinely seemed to enjoy the company of children.

“Oh, who do I see?” she smiled, waving at the boys through the flyer window. Dora didn’t hesitate to open the panel and begin unstrapping them, plucking Hanyah from his seat with some effort. “Oof. You boys have grown!” Kirit went for the other two and brought them into the woman’s house first while the other children tugged at his sleeves, talking in slurred mixes of Kaerelean, Traders tongue and Qouti. Mostly they were barraging him with excitement over being the General and asking whether or not he was staying to play. “Not this time,” he told them, much to their disappointment, “Maybe ye come out to th’ fields when we harvest an’ I show ye th’ water snakes?”
Kirit got the boys settled into floor seat and kissed each of their heads again. Already Myshael, the loudest of the three was starting to whine for him but it wouldn’t do much good to keep going back. He would settled down at the sight of his favorite toy which Kirit produced from the depths of the bag quickly. “There ye go, boys. I be back for ye in th’ morning with ye mam.”

He left the boys in good hands and dashed home to find Tabit was much faster at getting ready than he anticipated. She came walking down the stairs in a pretty pale-pink dress that hung from her hips in a way he especially liked, along with the battered purple flowers in her hands. The flowers looked drab in comparison to her. Looking over her made him entirely forget he had a dried slobber stain from Hanyah’s chewing on his shoulder and his hair was a wild mess from Azar’ah’s prying hand.
“Ye pretty as the day I marry ye,” he smiled, walking forward to offer her hand down the final stairs.

Making sure she made it to the first floor, he kissed her cheek and slipped arm around her waist, all ready to take her to dinner without a care in the world. Until he saw his reflection in the window. That’s how Dora and the rest of the kids had seen him too. “Ah, ye wait for m’ right here an’ I go make m’ self look like I belong next t’ ye.”
Kirit left a quick peck on her cheek before scurrying up the stairs and shirking of his shirt at the same time. The shirt landed close to the hamper and he dove into the closet to retrieve…none of his dress clothes fit. It dawned on him suddenly that he hadn’t replaced any of his dress clothing since growing a few inches everywhere. What was he going to do?

A myriad of ideas came to mind and he bit at his lip before grabbing his black jacket, black work pants, and a clean white undershirt from the closet along with his beret. It didn’t look nearly as presentable as his wife. Clonking down the stairs in his boots and make shift formal wear, he gave her an apologetic look. “Ah, remind m’ I need t’ order new dress uniform,” he said as he took up her hand and lead her out to the skimmer.

He flew them to a new place that had just set up shop. The town had grown substantially from the farming community that they had first come to and new shops along with other things had appeared after the battle of Kinte. They were strictly monitored of course, due to the military base, but there hadn’t been any problems yet and the locals seemed to enjoy the new features.

This place popped up near the edge and had a patio that faced the east side where the sunset could be seen every evening. As long as the wind was under control it was a nice place to eat and enjoy the misty Wilds light up with the fading daylight. Or so the owner had told him. He escorted her inside, earning a curious look over his attire from the wait staff, which he ignored and pulled Tabit’s chair out for her.

“Ye order whatever ye like,” he smiled as the menu was brought out. It was written in traders tongue which was becoming more common place. As the waiter went about his work, bringing them reddish brown bread made of the sweet grasses along with fresh cream and water to drink, Kirit ordered a cream liquor and offered for Tabit to get what she liked. In truth, the view was quite pretty. Even a warrior like him could appreciate the open air and the sun with the Wilds below them. He kept stealing glances at Tabit, her hair catching some in the breeze and he grinned. “I like t’ take ye out like this.”

They rarely had chances like this since the triplets were born and it had occurred to him they were coming up on their first year anniversary…or it had passed…he couldn’t exactly pin point it, but it was close. “Are ye happy, Tabit?” Sometimes he wondered if she was. There were some days when she looked hesitant or frazzled over small things and he had never been impatient with her. With three babies, things were bound to happen. “When th’ travel ban is lifted I want t’ take ye t’ Reylia again too. We can show of th’ kids an’ I can show ye off t’ everyone there too. There are things th’ boys should have as Reylians too,” he smiled.

*********

Calysta kissed Illya after they finished their discussion about the kids and to her surprise, she found him smiling as he stroked her hair. They were no longer exiles. Not one voted against them? She blinked as a rush of comprehension for what he was saying came through. It was the happiest news he could have ever received, to be back with his people and be happy, and in the moment she was thrilled for them. They were welcome among the Chippeqouti! She leaned in and bound him in an exuberant kiss, pecking here and there awhile she grinned. Part of her knew that they would be going back to a divided Chippeqouti though, and it would present its own challenges. Could she mend that? Would they expect him to come back and forge an empire? Her hands tightened over his back as she kissed him more. She didn’t want him to go back to his General work or to be in the field at all. “That’s great,” she said, earnestly. She was happy that he wasn’t an exile for her mistakes anymore. “We’ll finish up here and go home, yeah?” They would already be a few Pithian’s heavier and she wondered exactly how their homecoming was going to go with that little detail.

***********

Over the days Calysta kept close watch over Illya and his medicine, being sure that he took it on time every day before going to train and then looking for signs of more severe seizures besides just the frequent absence seizures, which were still a problem if they happened in combat.

She would regularly go to visit Helen to learn the herbs as she was promised and found it to be much more complicated than what even Yvonne had known or could teach her. All the plants had different names, and different parts, which she could memorize easily but knowing the specific stages of growth and what time to pick things was the trickier part. “That one is dragons breath,” she pointed, “And it prefers warm climates, which is why its by the heater, and it can only be used when its fully matured.’ Helen corrected her, reminding her that fully matured meant when the petals turns bright orange. She had forgotten to add that detail. “I will remember next time,” Calysta nodded as the lesson continued.

When the lesson was done, she sat across from Helen with a cup of tea and studied the woman. She did that occasionally, knowing what had been sent back in that report. This was something more though. In a few months they would be heading home with this woman and some of her kin, the ones who wanted to separate and go to the home planet. “Helen, would it be possible for you to get a head count of how many will be returning to Kaereal when the training is done?”

**************
Later that night she took her time getting ready for bed, pulling on her warm socks one of Illya’s shirts, which smelled like his oils, and a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. It was past the 25 day mark with his medicine and she could help but feel slightly relieved. Not only had her period been blessedly less painful but there had been no major seizures so far and that was a great milestone. Shuffling out of the bathroom, she found Illya stretched out on the bed with a tray of treats and a broad grin.
She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him waiting there expectantly and she gazed at him with a tilt of her head. “What is all of this, hm?”

At his explanation and the offered fudge, Calysta wandered over and settled onto the bed with him, taking the treat into her mouth. Where he thought these things up, she’d never know but it sounded like fun for just the two of them and she wasn’t about to question it.

Calysta sat cross-legged on the bed with Illya cross from her and she thought about his story about only going to school for two years. He had no idea she had seen those holograms or knew what she did, but this way, she wouldn't have to reveal that knowledge to use some of it. Perhaps it was an unfair advantage, but when it came to betting with Illya, sometimes a few mulligans were helpful. Tapping her chin with the tip of her finger, she rocked on her bottom slightly thinking before grinning. "I bet 5 that you did go to school for 2 years and that you enjoyed it," she said confidently as she pushed her rocks in front of him, "I think its true." She already knew he had gone to school for two years and that he had enjoyed reading to learn new things or listen to a good story.

With the bet Illya managed to maintain a balanced and neutral expression. When she set out her five stones he reached over and collected them. "I dun like school, but I did go tah school for 2 years." Now he allowed himself to smile and he nodded to her. "Yah tink maybe yah take off one sock now?" He was going to rub it in a little bit that she got it wrong by guessing it to be the truth right away. "Now yah tell meh story and I make bet dat et es right or wrong."

"I thought you like reading," she protested slightly he swept away her betting stones. Still, it was technically an opinion and not a fact, so she smirked a little and reached down for her woolen thermal sock. If she was going have to take off the sock, she might as well make it something he'll remember. Slowly, she pulled her pajama pants up her pale and freshly shaved leg and then took her time removing the sock from her delicate ankle before tossing the item toward the hamper. "Hmmm...alright....my turn. When I was young, I ran away to Kinte because I heard there was Terran circus there and I wanted to join them."

Illya couldn't help looking when he saw Kalizda pull her pantleg up before taking her sock off. It was certainly a tempting sight and he had no doubt that she'd done that on purpose. It was distracting even when he was trying to listen to her story. She certainly had an advantage with her womanly wiles. The story sounded like it could be true. Her father had told him that she made a ship once, but she had been terribly sick when she was little too. After a long moment he chuckled and set out 8 stones. That was the level of his confidence. "Et's true dat yah run away tah Kinte tah join dah circus."

While he deliberated, she plucked a piece of fudge from the plate and put it into her mouth to melt on her tongue. Her father always made good sweets but he hadn't made fudge in so long, not since she was a child, and it was delicious. Calysta hummed in approval at the sugary chocolate taste, then reached for another as Illya made his decision. He took out a confident 8 stones and put them into the pile, so she chuckled and matched him, adding her own before, shaking her head. "I did run away. It was a month after I had my first immunization shots ever and I felt better. I started begging dad to let me go to school with everyone else even though I knew it hadn't been long enough yet. When dad said no, lit out to Kinte and tried to join a traveling Terran ballet company. I always liked to dance and thought if I couldn't go to school to learn how to be a proper pilot maybe I could dance instead." Chuckling she leaned back against the headboard and smiled. "I've never seen my father so mad when they called him. I was proud that I had made it that far though." She reached forward and tugged at his shirt sleeve with an expectant gaze. "I think the shirt should go, hm?"

She played the same trick he did. Kalizda was looking so coy and she'd only shared half a truth. By now she was three stones ahead and she'd gained her five back. If he was going to make it he was going to have to change his game up a little bit and tell her a full truth or a full lie. Illya set his one stone out and then pulled his shirt off. "Dere, now I make meh next part and yah bet." He could see her grinning at him without his shirt and he had to think of what to say next. "I run away from home when I was nine, but I came back when et got dark."

Illya stripped off his shirt, revealing his tan skin and she couldn't help but smile. He knew exactly how attractive he was to her and she inched a bit close to him, careful not to jostle the food too much. Thinking on his statement, she remembered his home life. He probably would have been living with his sister at the time or perhaps had gone to his parents during a time of stability. She could easily see him running away to find his mother or go back to Maks. Putting out 4 stones, she nodded. "I think that's true."

This time she guessed right and they both got to keep the stones. Illya pushed hers back to her and then took his single little stone back. "Hmm...Yah better at dis game den I tink. Yah turn."

She was curious as to why he had run away, but he didn't bother to clue her in or continue the story. It felt like one of those things that she shouldn't ask about until later, but her curiosity was begging her to ask. Instead, Calysta leaned back again and thought for a moment about what she wanted to offer him for her turn. "I learned to fight from my father when I was 7."

The next part was easy. Illya grinned and he put 10 stones out this time. "Eh, I tink dat's true." She'd told him just a while back that her father had taught her to fight. So, that statement was likely true and she didn't seem to hesitate enough to indicate that she was making up the age.

She matched his bet, keeping a blank expression until she couldn't bear it any more and broke out into a grin. It surprised her that he might remember her telling him about how her father had taught her to give a mean left hook, in a technique from his boxing days among other things. "True. He wanted to make sure I knew how. You'd never guess he was a boxer in his Officer days, huh?" she grinned, pushing the stones toward him, "Your turn."

Illya kept his stones, but he pushed hers back to her. "Yah dun lose et ef yah tell trut and I guess et, Jes means dat I keep what I have." A grin came to his face when she explained the bit about her father. "Well since yah explain about yah fater being boxer I tell yah dat I run away because I was going tah be explorer. Meh mum packed lunch for meh and I run away tah be explorer, but when dah desert get dark and I dun have nice snake I jes go home. I was done running away." It sounded pathetic, but what was a little boy supposed to do? "Now, I take meh turn. When I fly ship wit yah et was meh first time."

Calysta's grin grew even wider when he described why he ran away. Of course it would be his stomach that returned him home and she laughed a little, the image of his tanned behind darting off into the desert coming to mind. At his next challenge, she grew quiet trying to think. He had been so many places, surely that wasnt his first time flying. Just because he hadn't known how to fly the Gylcryn didn't mean he didn't know how to fly at all. Then again...he hadn't known anything at all about being in the pilots seat from what he had said and demonstrated. His flying skills were still quite rough. Pushing ten rocks in front of him, she nodded. "I think that's true."

"Hah!" Illya almost yelled in triumph as he scooped the rocks up and then proceeded to explain himself. "I tink about flying like meh sister before, but I crash two ships during training and den I was kicked out of flying school for Chippequoti and moved to dah ground forces permanent." With a grin he took one of the caramels and then nodded to her. "Yah can take yah oter sock off now."

The thought of crashing even one ship made her cringe but to two ships? No wonder they had put him on the ground. She almost felt thankful that he hadn't crashed their ship or floundered them at any other point. This time she stripped off her sock a little faster and unfolded her legs to shimmy her toes up one of Illya's pants leg where it was warm. "I thought you trained with your father for Elite only. How old were you going into flight school?" she asked curiously.

"Mm...dey try tah cross train, but I dun do so good at flight. Only got tah be in cross training for flight for 4 monts before I was moved tah cross train for Elite." Illya caught her foot when it slid up his pant leg and he winked at her. "What yah next story?" He was getting curious about what she would come up with next.
With her foot caught all she could do was wiggle her toes under his hand playfully as he answered and asked for her next story. Pondering for a moment, she thought about what she wanted to tell him and then stole a caramel, then picked up another piece, offering it to Illya's lips to nibble. "Alright...once I got lost in the caves under Pyrta and ended up hanging over the Wilds when one of them ended."

The game was turning more into little stories while the played around instead of actually focusing on winning. Illya took the caramel from Kalizda and he chewed it slowly while she told her tale. "Hmm...I tink ets true. Meh little bird es good at getting in trouble." They'd entirely forgot to bet stones this time and he leaned in to kiss her. "Meh first dance was wit meh dad. He had tah teach meh how tah dance like man."

"True. I was running and used the caves to hide in," she admitted, "I didn't want to go topside yet so I went further down. There's a massive lake that drains down into the wilds and during the dry season it's full of little shellfish creatures called Uyren. I followed one of the tunnels and popped out right on the edge of Pyrta." Illya leaned into kiss her, and she kissed him back with sweet little pecks. It was fun talking with him like this, just enjoying his company with nothing hanging over them. When he mentioned learned to dance from his dad, she chuckled. Markus hadn't struck her as much of the dancer type and she doubted he would at all if it hadn't been for Yvonne. "I don't think your first dance was with your dad. If anything, I think it was with your mom."

Kalizda was distracting and there was more than enough evidence for the fact that she quickly caught onto his fable. "Eh...Yah right. Meh mum dance wit meh." Maybe he had been distracted, but she didn't seem to be as distracted as he was. Illya still had to take off his pants. He was only in his boxers at this point because he wasn't much of a sock wearing person when it came to bed time. "I tink I lose dis game." Chuckling a bit he leaned in and kissed Kalizda once more before pulling away and running one of his warm hands up her pajama pant leg. Her legs were smooth. There was the one spot with a bit of an indentation from the shrapnel she caught in her leg some years ago, but he didn't mind it and he didn't let his hand rest over the spot too long. Instead he let his hand roam all the way up to her knee and back down again. "Et's yah turn."

She grinned in victory over his admittance that Markus was not his first dance and even more so when his hand slipped up her pants leg with a lingering warm touch. Leaning into his hands, she kissed him and chuckled as her hands caressed at his bare chest. He was almost in the by the rate of of things it might not take terribly long for the game to end. She wanted to enjoy it as much as possible though. "Oh I think you're winning pretty well...hmm..." she hummed, "The first time I ever visited the Wilds I fought a Tyrei and won."

Illya snorted at her comment. Of course he would be considered to be winning in her book. However, when she told him her story he grinned. That was definitely a lie and it was his chance to get more stones. If he was going to lose all his clothes first then he was going to at least get more rocks. "I tink yah lie. I bet 20 rocks." He needed to level this game out. "Now ets meh turn. I steal dress from little girl when I was 4 and wore et on meh head. Jes take et from her basket of clotes. Den I run around and yell."

He went all in with his rocks at 20 and she matched him, grinning until she started laughing. "Okay, okay you win. It depends on what you mean by "winning." I fell through a hole in the jungles and into a den with 5 kits. They are cute when they are that small. About the size of Cin....maybe a little less. I had to run while they were chased me. I only got away because I was small enough to slide through some roots." Slowly, she shimmied out of her top and held him closer tracing her fingernails over his broad back. "I bet 20 rocks that you did run around with that dress on your head. I even bet it was someone you knew too."

"Eh..." Illya grinned a little when Kalizda guessed that it had been a true story. How could she believe something like that about him? "Yah take meh rocks again. Et was a little girl called Leyah. She liked tah play dress up and I liked tah put her dresses on meh head and run away yelling. She dun catch meh dat often. I tink her mum caught meh more den she did." Leyah was still around and she would sometimes regale people with the tale of how she managed to get Illya in a dress as a kid. "Fine, now yah tell tale and I make meh bet wit all meh rocks again."

Calysta bit her lip, supressing a laugh as he described his dress wearing shenanigans. She could almost see him running around with a lacy pink dress on his head, proud as ever. "I believe it," she chuckled, "Now I could see your mom finding it funny." Matching his bet, she leaned him some and stole an almond from the plate. "You are looking at the unofficial Kinte paper folding champion."

Raising his eyebrows some Illya leaned in closer to see if she would give herself away. It was hard to tell because she'd been grinning this whole time. Obviously she was enjoying herself. Leaning back again he picked up a caramel for himself and a few of the almonds to eat with it before he passed more fudge to her. "Hmm...I tink yah tell dah trut." Unofficial could mean anything and he figured that she probably would do something like that as a kid. She was only ahead of him by one piece of clothing. All she had left was pants and underwear.

"True," she said plucking the fudge from him, "In the hospital we weren't allowed to get up and play much and this little boy from Ewen.. Seysan.. would teach us how to fold paper into amazing designs. He taught me how to make a bird, a tiger, and many types of flowers. My favorite one was this one called a lotus flower. We would have competition to see who could make the best and that was his favorite one too. When he passed we put flowers all around and I still have some somewhere in the attic at home. I think I'll teach the kids to make them sometime. When we go home probably." The tone of her voice wasn't particularly sad, almost a bit wistful and completely happy still.

Since it was his turn again Illya just snacked a little more on the remaining honey and nuts. He had almost wiped out the entire caramel stash and he left most of the fudge for Kalizda. Perhaps he would help her father make the fudge for Christmas. Thomas had said that Christmas would be here soon and Illya wanted to do something with it this time. While he munched away he caught Kalizda's gaze and remembered that they were playing a game and she was anxiously waiting for his next story. "I fall into river when I was 10 and get stuck on rock overnight." He wondered if she would take the bait on this one. It sounded like something he would do, but it wasn't true.
She was looking at the disparity between her pile of rocks and is. She knew that there was no way he's falling into the river and gotten caught on rocks. He sink like a stone himself, but she also wanted to give him some sort of sporting chance here. Nibbling at the fudge, she raised him up to 20 stones and nodded. "After seeing your miraculous belly flop on Reylia...I can believe it."

Scooping the pile of rocks over to himself Illya smirked. "Yah wrong, but now I tink yah might win dah game. Now we are even. Yah take yah pants off and I have meh boxers and yah have yah underwear." When she finished kicking the pajama pants off he rested one hand on her left leg and let his hand roam along even to her thigh. It was a good thing they were agreed because he wouldn't dream of touching her thigh otherwise. That was a terribly bold move. Scooting a little closer to her Illya leaned in and kissed her gently. "Yah know dat we dun have tah play a game tah talk. I jes want tah make et easy for yah tah talk and make et like game. Den we have fun making bets eh?"

She wiggled out of her pajama pants and slipped her leg over his good one, letting that wandering hand have access to her thigh where he always seemed to get a particular joy from being. He always got that sparkle in his eye and she kissed him with lingering pecks, simply enjoying the attention and his presence. It was strange to think that at one point she would never have something like this. How could have been living so long without something so good? Looking back on herself then she found a very, very incomplete person. A shadow of the woman she was now. What was more astounding was that he this was him offering to talk. She wasn't having to chase him for answers or force them out. Illya was talking to her at ease and comfortable. Wasn't this the way marriage was supposed to be? . "I like this game," she admitted, between pecks, "I know that we don't have to play the game, but I like it this way too. You can always talk to me...even without the bets..." Then she slipped a finger to the waist band of his boxers and ran them just along the edge, something she had seen in movies and it looked playful enough to be enticing. "But I think we have one more bet to make.... I didn't have my first kiss until I was 19."

It sounded like Kalizda agreed they didn't need a bet to talk, but she did like it. Most people liked games and Kalizda was no exception. There was only one problem that he'd had so far. She didn't usually make a fair exchange. Typically Kalizda expected him to talk to her, but she didn't really say anything of her own. Illya smirked a little when she said her part and she ran her finger along the top of his boxer. He was fairly certain she'd had a kiss before that age. Almost everyone had. Surely she did, even if it was in the hospital. So, he decided to go ahead and fail this answer. She was far too tempting the way she was playing with the waistband of his boxers. "Eh, I tink yah tell dah trut."

"True," she whispered as her hands played on his silky boxer band, "I didn't have my first kiss until I was 19...I hardly remember it." Drawing him a little closer, she could tell the game was coming to a close and that another bit of fun was just beginning. Looking into his bright green eyes she wondered how she got so lucky to have him. What had she done to deserve him? Maybe that was the point though. Maybe she hadn't had to do anything but be herself and be loved for it for once. "I know who I want to be all the kisses after that one though...and my last kiss too." Smiling gently, she leaned up and captured him into a deeper kiss trying to show him how much she did love him.

Illya enjoyed the kissing and he reached over to move the plate of treats off the bed. They didn't need those anymore. "Hmm...I know who et es dat I want tah have share everyting wit. She es in meh arms." There wasn't anyone else that he wanted and Illya liked to tell her that she was the only one.

**********

Calysta woke snuggled quite contentedly between Illya’s big arms, having spent the night talking, making love, and going back to chatting. There was no telling what time they had gone to sleep. She imagined it was somewhere around 4am galactic time, but she hadn’t bothered to look at the time. Rather, they had fallen asleep tangled up, her hair everywhere being stroked lightly and his other hand clasped in hers.

What was clear, was the time they both received an excited knock on the door. Calysta jolted slightly at the sound and curled into her husband’s warm, slightly sweaty chest. Was that Cypher? No, he would have just come in. Frowning slightly, she heard her father’s voice on the other side of the door. “Rise and shine you two! Breakfast is ready and it’s officially 12 days till Christmas! We’re going to get a tree!”

He sounded altogether giddy over going to get a tree for Christmas and his voice was joined by the heavy footfalls of their son waking up and pounding on the door too. “Mam! Papa says ets Christmas and we get tah bring a tree inside! A real one!”

Calysta smiled at the sound of her sons excitement and rolled over to lay a gentle kiss on Illya’s lips. “Good morning,” she mused sleepily, “I think it’s time to wake up.”

 

[Silence]

As far as Illya could remember this was likely the first time that he and Kalizda had a chance to talk about their younger years without any kind of pressure. She wasn't trying to ask him about a specific event and he didn't have to try and figure something out to ask Kalizda. This was much easier. He told her favorite memories of his own and she shared the kinds of memories she wanted him to know. What had made it better was the snacks and the betting. In the end none of the betting really amounted to anything, but it did keep it interesting on a few levels. There were ways to make conversations feel less like a give and take. Just having this conversation without the bet would have been strange feeling.

After their love making Illya held Kalizda close for a while longer. She was still talking about little things she did as a kid. He almost started to fall asleep and then he heard his name. Snapping awake again he mumbled out a short answer and a little story of his own. Maybe she was just as tired as he was because she didn't seem to notice that he was falling asleep on her again when she said his name.

To his shame he'd probably missed 80% of her stories. If she was going to be asking him about any of this later he'd have to tell her he was falling asleep between every time that she had said his name. Hopefully that didn't happen. Illya finally managed to wake up only to see that Kalizda was starting to fall asleep and he mumbled to her, "I tink we jes sleep now." Whatever she'd said in return he didn't know, but he figured she must have agreed because he didn't wake up to her saying his name again. The next sound that Illya heard was the banging on their bedroom door and his heart almost hurt with how hard it pumped the next wave of blood. What was wrong with her dad? Doing something like that should have been reserved for an emergency.

Kalizda rolled in his arms to face him and started to talk about getting up. "Hmmm....Do we have tah get up?" A lazy smirk spread over Illya's face and he craned his neck to give her a little kiss on the lips. Of course Cypher was outside their room making a ruckus about going to get a tree and Illya called back to the boy. "Yah let grandpa help yah wit breakfes and I come out wit yah mum in little bit." Illya waited till he heard the sound of his little boy's feet stomping along with Thomas before he snuck a hand around to the back of Kalizda's legs and gave a little squeeze. "Hmmm...dat feels nice. Maybe we get up and have shower before we start dis day. I tink finding dis tree will be a lot of work. Hopefully not too much. I plan on having more energy tah work later too."

Pushing the covers back, he slid his legs over the edge of the bed and walked over to Kalizda's side to offer her a hand up. Together they got into the shower and he helped wash her back. Sometimes Illya would massage her shoulders and rub her back in a gentle massage because she liked it and today they had time. He wasn't in a hurry to be going out in the cold. The bone in his right leg was hurting a little bit where the prosthetic had been anchored to it. They had to keep the prosthetic attached somehow and the cold just made the places where the leg was anchored to his bones a bit sore.

Once they were done with the shower Illya quickly brushed his hair and then got dressed. Kalizda took a little longer because she had longer hair and she liked to fiddle with it in the mornings. He knew it was so she felt pretty, but he still thought it was funny how much time she spent on it. Slipping into a fleece lined pair of jeans he hummed in satisfaction. Those had to be one of the best things Kalizda had got for him for the cold weather. Then he pulled a regular button up shirt on and a vest before selecting a nice wool sweater from his closet to go over the button up shirt. Illya liked sweaters and especially the button sweaters because he could open them up if they got too hot to be buttoned and then he could still keep warm instead of having to choose to wear it or take it off.

Now that he was comfortable he started out for the main part of the ship. On cold days he preferred to wear the sweater. Kalizda always seemed to be buying new clothes and putting them in his closet. Especially since they had come to a much colder planet, but he was thankful for the things that she thought of. Especially the sweater. Illya liked it. It had become one of his favorite pieces in his wardrobe and he wore it almost every single day. Even though it was warm in the ship he still wore his sweater because it was warm and it felt good. Shuffling toward the kitchen he could smell food, and hear Thomas working away at something.

It was far too early feeling, but Illya knew that was only because he'd been up so late. Thomas was busily humming away and making a sweet chocolate drink. Leaning a bit closer Illya sniffed. "Why yah make dat so early in dah day?" He didn't know why the man was humming odd tunes that he'd never heard before or what all the little things he was doing around the galley and ship had to do with this holiday. "Yah jes making big mess. I see boxes all over and den I see paper and little tings." Nut sure of the ornament he plucked from one box he held it up. "Why?" The question should be fairly clear. He wanted to know why all this mess was out.

Thomas had half the Christmas decorations out of storage and in the galley, taking stock of everything they had. Ropes of lights, baubles and ornaments, silver tinsel and red bows along with an angel topper. There was garland and stockings and snow globes too. The sight of it all made him giddy and he whistled an old tune. Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer as he stirred up coco in piping hot sweetened milk. They would need some hot chocolate to go out tree hunting after all. Not soon after he was tossing in marshmallows to top of the chocolate when Illya came blustering in and poking around. "Its not a mess," he replied, "It's Christmas decorations. Don't Chippeqouti decorate for their own holidays?"

"Decorations?" Illya's eyebrows rose and he looked at the trinket again. It looked like a child's toy from a little fake treasure box. In a way it was delightful, but he wasn't really sure why you'd want to make the entire ship look like a child's little junk box full of treasures. "Eh...Yah see Chippequoti party. We dance, we eat, we drink, and we bet. Dat es what celebration es for. Dere es nut time for dese tings." Pointing to the trinket again he set it aside in its little box again. "When say earlier dat we go get tree, what kind of tree we find? Most of dem are jes brown and dead dis time of year. Dere are some dat are still green, but I dun know why yah want et in here." He wasn't trying to sound grouchy, but he was certainly confused by all these little traditions. They didn't make sense at all.

Illya didnt seem keen on the idea of decorating much and in retrospect, Thomas knew he shouldnt have asked. Of course Chippeqouti didnt decorate. "Well, for this celebration we do. As for the tree, we want a nice fluffy green one with the needle leaves. We'll bring it inside and decorate it as a nice place to put our gifts for Christmas morning. It's a tradition over a thousand years old. Then will give gifts in Christmas morning in celebration and remembrance of God's greatest gift." He whistled along and passed a thermos to Illya with a wide grin. "I havent gotten a real tree since I was a boy."

This was such a strange holiday and Illya felt a bit apprehensive about it. There were many warnings from the Four Winds about pagan holidays where people chose to be extravagant and wasteful. Even if he'd decided to convert he didn't recall seeing anything about decorations like this in anything that he read. However, this new God didn't seem to mind if people had a good time every now and then and he certainly seemed to approve of the temples and other things that people enjoyed too. Perhaps it was simply an interpretation of that sort of thing except that it was made affordable for common folk. Taking the thermos Illya sighed. "Alright, den we go find dis tree and uh...we take dah kids yeah? Ef dey get tired I have sled and I jes pull dem wit us eh?"

Thomas reached for the bag of marshmallows and dug his hand in before producing a pile for Cypher. The boy's eye's went wide and he greedily snapped up the fluffy white bits, obviously having been able to sample them before. "Of course," Thomas grinned, "The kids and Caly too. She never got to do this when she was a kid. We always had to use a fake tree on Pyrta. The sled will work well and we'll need a hatchet to chop the tree down properly. Do we have one?" He also needed to measure the ceiling and make sure they had a place to put it up when they got home. "You and Caly want to get the kids ready?"

It sounded like it was a large production and Illya started to smirk when Thomas said that Kalizda was supposed to go too. "Hmmm...Yeah I get Kalizda and we have kids ready in short time." Taking a white fluff from the stack on the counter Illya ignored the little glare from Cypher. The thing tasted good. Illya was going to have to remember to ask Thomas what it was later. When he got back to the room Illya slipped an arm around Kalizda's waist. "Yah going tah come wit us tah get tree?" Carefully he leaned over her and craned his neck so he could kiss the side of her neck and work his way toward her earlobe. "I like et ef yah come wit us."

Calysta could hear her father singing from in the galley down the hall and it only got louder when Illya opened their bedroom door and slipped inside. When has she heard her father so jolly ? It had been a very long time since he sounded so jovial and she couldn't resist smiling. A warm hand came around her waist and soft niblings traced up her neck to her ear only increasing her smile the her eyes are closed. Much like a cat in the Sun, she stretched slightly and tilted her neck to invite him further. "Mmm... Christmas tree hunting?" Letting him reach her earlobe she slipped a hand up to his cheek and turned her face catching his lips instead. "I wouldn't miss it for anything." It would be a good chance for the kids to learn their Terran in roots and for her father to get the Christmas he'd wanted for many years now.

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

Illya was mostly dressed up for the winter outing, he even had his snow shoes slung over his shoulder and then he thought of one last detail. "I'll be back. Yah get dah kids outside wit yah dad." Stepping down the hall Illya came to stop outside Priscilla's doorway. Knocking on it he waited for her to answer before he said anything. "Priscilla, yah come find tree wit us? I bring extra mug for hot chocolate drink and I have more snow shoes for yah."

The sounds of Priscilla shuffling around in the bathroom and then walking into the bedroom could be heard followed by the tapping sounds of her dog, Yuji following her every step. "Sit...good boy. Stay." It seemed the commands were obeyed and the door to the bedroom opened to find Priscilla having done part of her make up and her hair was in a delicate bun piled onto her head. An expression of surprise sat on her face which was quickly turned to a soft smile. It was her first Christmas without Harry and despite the cheer Thomas had, she was struggling in some moments to feel as she should during the holidays. Somethings just reminded her of him, no matter what she did and it was hard. Still, he would have wanted her to go out and find a nice Christmas tree along with the children and Calysta. She could do that for him and it was encouraging that between the entire family she had found herself with, that they still remembered her. "I would love to," she replied, " Can you give me about 5 minutes and I'll be ready?"

Nodding a bit Illya grinned. "We have time. I jes get a sled for dah little ones while we wait." Starting back down the hall he stopped in the kitchen to pick up the extra mug for the pack. Illya collected the extra set of snow shoes and then took himself the animal bay. If they were going outside for a while he would take Quroz, Cin, and Keysha with. They needed the outdoor time too. The kids were already having fun outside and Rose was acting a bit too old for fun, but it would get the better of her eventually. Cin merrily charged into the snow and buried his big brown head in the snow. The bird followed Illya with his giant paws barely making an imprint in the snow. Keysha was prancing around in the snow and then decided to leap on top of the bear, it caused only momentary panic for the giant dummy before it all settled and Keysha decided to stay on top of Cin. At least his giant pelt was nice and warm in contrast to the cold outside. When Priscilla appeared on the ramp Illya stepped up the ramp and held a hand out to her to help her down. "Now, we have everyone here and we can go find dah tree." At the bottom of the ramp he let her hand go again and nodded to Thomas. "Yah lead dah way."

Priscilla smiled more genuinely this time and retreated back to her bathroom to finish her make up, topping it off with mascara and a bit of gloss. Sure, there was no one out here to see her looking nice, but putting on make up everyday was a habit she refused to let go simply because it made her feel pretty and gave her some sense of normalcy after everything. Pulling on her coat and boots, she wrapped Harry's plain black scarf around her and called for Yuji who had been sitting there patiently. "C'mon boy, lets go." The pup had grown quite attached to his master and stayed by her side though his excitement for a trip outside was evident in his wagging tail as they walked down the corridor to the bay. The first bite of cold air hit her cheeks as she gazed over the frozen landscape where the rest of the motley animal crew was bouncing around in the snow. Yuji barked a few times and then looked back to her, as if asking permission. "Go on," she laughed. No sooner had the words left her lips did the dog take off to join the rest, bounding through the snow that nearly swallowed him whole. Illya appeared in front of her and she smiled up at him before taking his hand. "Thank you, Illya." It was strange sometimes not to call him general, but Calysta had insisted that they not be called by their formal titles anymore ages ago. She made her way down the icy ramp and into the snow with a puff of steam leaving her lips. At the word, Thomas grinned and struck up a tune as he pointed toward the treeline. "This way," he announced, starting off, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me!" His singing wasn't half bad, through slightly operatic, and he nudged Priscilla. "You know this one, c'mon....thats the line." Priscilla hesistated for a moment before giving up and deciding to sing...in a surprisingly lyrical voice. "A partridge in a pair tree. On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...two turtle doves...."The song went on as they walked, the kids and animals having fun in the snow as they went. Calysta came beside Illya, and slipped one of her hands into his, with a chuckle. "I haven't seen my dad like this in a long time or Priscilla either."

It seemed that Thomas was more than ready to get started. Rose and Cypher were both keen on keeping up with their grandfather and Illya walked a little slower because Lohgan wanted to try, but she was barely waddling along on top of the snow. A few times she stepped on an especially soft part of the snow and she'd sink in only for Illya to pull her up again. As they drew closer to the first big hill the two younger kids started to get tired and Illya let go of Kalizda's hand. "Yah sit in dah back of the sled and hold on tight. I push yah and dah kids up dah hill." A grin came to his face. He had a little plan and he knew the youngest two would fly right out of the sled if their mother wasn't there to hold them in. For the second round he was sure Rose would volunteer to hold her siblings in. Once Kalizda was seated and she had her younger two in front Illya started with a few slow steps that gradually got faster as he ran up the hill pushing the sled in front of himself. Cypher called out the whole time, "Faster, dah, faster." He was loving it and Lohgan's eyes went wide before she let out a surprised squeal.

Calysta felt Illya's hand leave hers as he told her to get into the sled she was pulling. She nodded and slipped in first before grabbed up Cypher and setting him in her lap, then both of them held on to Lohgan. Any argument he had for not wanting to touch his sister was ended when Illya began to push them forward up the hill. "Hang on tight," Calysta laughed as she increased her grip. They zoomed past Rose, then Thomas and Priscilla, who waved at them as the sled rocketed past over the crest of the powdery hill top. "Whoo hooo!" whooped Cypher," Faster dah!" Lohgan was giggling wildly as they shot down the other side of the hill, bouncing along the ground in a arching spray of white snow. The feeling of going so fast was thrilling and and before the sled even came to a halt, Cypher was begging to go again as his fat fists pumped the air, pulling up his puff jacket."Again, Dah!"

Even if he was in shape, pushing the sled up the hill was hard work, but things got out of hand going down the hill. Illya couldn't run quite as fast as the sled was going by now. He was half falling down the hill behind them and then he couldn't even keep that much up. A puff of snow went up behind them and Illya disappeared into a drift. After a few moments he popped back up to see that Kalizda and the kids were already at the bottom of the hill. Dusting himself off he jogged down the rest of the way. When he got to them his cheeks were both a rosy pink from the cold and moist from where all the snow melted. "Eh, we wait tah see ef Rose wants tah ride next time." Eventually Rose caught up and she did want to ride, so she traded out with Kalizda and Illya ran up the next hill and part way down the second, he didn't really want to fall in the snow again. For the final hill he offered Priscilla to ride with the kids. Tossing Thomas a glance he chuckled. "I dun suppose yah gonna line up next."

Priscilla was more than happy to get in the sled for the third round. The children liked it and the ride in the sled seemed like it would be a blast. Cypher called out for Aunt Pris excitedly and piled into her lap with clunky elbows and his jacket straining to contain his chubby belly as he plopped down. Wincing slightly, Priscilla laughed and wrapped her arms around both kids as Calysta handed Lohgan back to her lap. "Alright," she said, breathlessly, "Lets go!" Thomas gave Illya a bit of a smirk and shook his head. "Don't tempt me. It's been over 30 years since I've gone sledding and the last time I ended up in a snow drift 7ft high." His brother had gotten a good laugh out of it too. As Illya took Priscilla and the kids up the next hill Calysta walked with her father enjoying the chance to talk with him for a moment too. "How will you know its the right tree?" Thomas grinned and held up the small hatchet, more than proud to show off. "We'll just know, Caly. Trust me. It will just feel right." Calysta didn't exactly know how that worked, but her father was so excited, she nodded and began up the final hill leading to the treeline. The snow wasn't as thick here, thankfully. That was mostly due to the trees collecting a fair amount of them on the branches.

It was far more fun pushing the kids around than it was looking at trees and so Illya went over the third hill before he decided to ask Thomas if they'd come to the spot yet. Illya was panting a little bit. Running up and down hills was a lot of work and especially when it was done pushing the kids around. "Yah chop dah tree yet?"

Thomas started inspecting the trees as the came to them. Some were the dead, scraggly ones Illya had mentioned but others were the evergreens that they wanted, their branched caked with icy snow. Whenever the snow got too heavy, a large dollop would fall and plop to the ground. He started inspecting a few of the smaller ones, but hadn't made a decision when Illya came trotting over out of breath, asking if they found one yet. "We are looking. It has to be just the right one. Not too tall, not too short. Full and fluffy." Calysta started to try and clarify for Illya but a small cracking sound echoed above them and a low branch from a nearby tree dumped its load of snow over her head in a flurry of white. The cold smacked her in the face and she squealed a bit as she stood there doused in melting chunks of the stuff. Thomas started laughing and pointed to the thick-needled evergreen. "That one."

They had hiked several hills covered in trees and Illya didn't know how Thomas could not have found an acceptable specimen by now. By the time he had turned around and was getting ready to push the kids up another hill he heard the crack and then turned to see Kalizda get doused in snow. "Dat es a lucky tree I guess." Glancing to Thomas he held his hand out for the hatchet. "I cut et down, or do yah want tah try first?"

"I'll try for it first," Thomas said happily, "It's not terribly thick in he trunk." Walking over to the trunk, he began shearing away some of the lower branches to find the trunk. As he worked, Calysta pulled snow out of her hair and her unwrapped her scarf to dust off the snow from out of her jacket collar. Illya was looking far too warm with his pink cheeks and breaths coming out in giant puffs of steam, while she had ice working into her shirt. A small smirk came to her lips as she thought of her little plan to catch him off guard and play with him. The kids were calling him back to send them over the next hill and as soon as he had turned to go, she took off in the opposite direction to scuttle around the snow drift to lie in wait. As soon as he came down the opposite side, she would be prepared with a good sized snowball. It only took a second or two to gather up enough snow at the bottom of the hill to make a good one, packed just tightly enough to stay together until it exploded on impact.

Since Thomas wanted to try cutting the tree down Illya bent over and set his hands on the back of the sled. He was going to be taking the kids for one more hill and then back here again before he stopped for some hot chocolate. As he came over the edge of the hill he suddenly felt the impact of something hitting his face. It was snow, but everyone had been accounted for, including the dogs, bear, cat, and bird. All the other adults were on the hill with Thomas. Illya let go of the sled and without even taking a second to look at who it was he ran straight for them and lunged for their legs. If they were going to do something stupid he was going to take them down in the snow and bury them. Nobody was going to sneak up on his family. By the time he heard the 'oof' he knew it wasn't just anyone, he'd tackled Kalizda. At the last second he braced himself to try and break the fall so he didn't put all his weight on her. Instead he only half pressed against her and his face got mashed into the chest of her jacket momentarily. Pushing up on his knees he carefully pulled her up out of the hole they'd made in the snow. "What were yah doing?"

Her perfect little snowball landed squarely on his should and arched off into face with a powdery splat, the sound of which was followed by Illya's heavy foot falls shifting directions as he leapt at her. He was always surprisingly fast for his size and Calytsta hadn't been expect him to want to tackle her over a simple snow ball toss. "Ooof!" The sound of her grunt was muffled as they tumbled into the snow, burying her at least foot down as he caught her legs and went for a better hold, his face planting into her chest. The whole motion stunned her for s second before she managed to cough out his name and help haul herself out of the snow hole they were in. "Just playing," she sputtered, wiping face from her snow, "You've never played in the snow at all? Even on Terra?"

"Oh..." Illya responded as his cheeks turned a little redder. It was hard to see the red since his cheeks were already red from the outdoors. "I uh...no, I never play in dah snow." With her standing he looked her over carefully and started a quick pat down over her body. "Yah ok? I dun hurt anyting?" He was worried about that since he'd just finished tackling her, even if he had realized it was Kalizda last minute and changed his tactic slightly. "I jes dun know et was yah making dah trouble. I tought yah still wit yah dad up dere."

She rose to her feet dusting off her legs and her rump as Illya admitted he had never played in snow before. It made sense, of course, but she though maybe in some of the places he had been he might have seen a snow ball fight of sorts. "I'm alright," she said as his hands joined hers, patting her down, "I walked around the back of the hill and I didn't think about catching you off guard do be a bad idea. That was my fault." When she was clear of most of the snow she glanced up to him and gave him a reassuring smile through the wave of guilt she had for not having thought of how he would react. "I didn't mean to scare you like that, but I'm alright so long as you are, yeah?"

Whatever her logic was, it didn't work out all that well. Illya nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I jes wanted tah make sure I dun hurt yah. Maybe yah get on meh back and I carry yah over to dah kids. We up dah hill and den I ride in dah sled down dah hill wit all of yah."

He seemed alright and and she nodded in agreement, considering he had knocked them both into a pile of snow thick enough she would have a hard time wading out of it. "Aye, that sounds fun." The idea really was a fun sounding one considering his weight would make them near rocket fast going down the hill. She climbed on his back, dislodging her feet from the snow and let him haul her over to the sled with the kids waiting expectantly. The march up the hill took less time with Illya's long legs covering ground fast and she slid from his shoulders when they reached the top. It took a moment for everyone to get arranged largest to smallest on the sled, and the thing gave a groan of protest when Illya settled his weight on it first. The blades sank slightly into the snow under his bum but they weren't done. Calysta climbed in next, making her snug between the Chips knees and was quickly followed by an eager Cypher piling into her lap. "Okay. alright...we're going down..get your sister." They put Lohgan in the front, trapped tightly between all of them and she gave Illya the go ahead as their son bounced heavily in her lap. "Lets go!"

When they reached the top of the hill Illya settled onto the sled and he kept his fists buried in the snow to hold them in place till they were all ready to head down the hill. Once they got started he did the steering to be sure they got down in one piece. He could see a little bump ahead, but he wasn't sure if the kids would want to go off it or not. It could be fun. "Yah want tah go over dah bump?" At first nobody answered until Illya started to turn them away and then Cypher yelled. "Bump!" Assuming that meant the boy wanted to go on the bump Illya steered them for it and the family ended up flying a good 5-6 feet in the air with Illya hold them tight. When they landed he grunted a little. It was tiny bit rough feeling on his back, but it was still fun. Cypher had yelled the whole way down and it sounded half panicked. When they got to the bottom of the hill Illya was laughing and he got up off the sled. "We maybe check on Thomas now. See ef he needs break from chopping on tree eh?"

Calysta nor the children were disappointed in the speed at which their sled took off with the extra weight of Illya added on. They cut through the snow with the velocity of a skimmer, yelling and whooping the whole way down the hill. She tucked her head down and held tightly to the kids when their sled flew over a bump, catching a fair bit of air to make everyone feel slightly weightless before landing with a jolt meters away down the hill. Cypher squealed for joy over the sound of his own laughing all the way down until they came to stop at the bottom. Illya hopped off the sled first, sending them all sprawling backwards since he was no longer propping them up. Cypher wiggled like a turtle stuck on its back before rolling of his mothers stomach and plopping into the snow beside the sled. Once he was on his hands and knees he huffed to his feet so he could run head long as his father to be picked up. "Can we go again after deh tree dah?" Calysta scooped up Lohgan and sat her back in the sled properly. "Aye, lets go check on Dad and then we can try the hill again, yeah?" They trekked their way up the hill, pulling Lohgan merrily along in the sled and crested the top to see Thomas chiseling away the tree and covered in falling snow from its branches. Despite his hard work, he had only managed to make it part of the way through the trunk as he hacked away with unhindered enthusiasm.

The tree didn't appear to be anywhere near falling over and Illya knew that meant he would be doing a lot more hauling with the kids and Kalizda. The only bad thing was that he was sure he would be hauling the tree back to the ship too. "Yah need help wit dah tree?" This time Illya was feeling a little more hopeful. If Thomas let him have at it, they could have the tree down and finish up quickly. He didn't want to spend his entire day off out i the cold.

Thomas took another swipe at the tree, sending a chip of pine wood flying and wiped a bead of sweat from his temple using his sleeve. This was harder than he remembered as a boy. Was he getting old or just lazy? With determination, he took another swing, burying it deeper this time and hand trouble wrenching it out, the hatchet wobbled but was thoroughly wedged into the chopped spot the more he tried to pull it out. At Illya's suggestion he stood up and gave the Chip a sheepish sort of look at the fact he couldn't get the hatchet out of the trunk. "Aye...I got it good and started for you if you want to try a hand at it," he offered puffing out his cheeks, "It's some pretty tough wood, I think." It was pine, and the softest wood there was in the galaxy, but today it was going to be the toughest because he had failed to get through it in a decent amount of time.

"Aye..." Illya agreed and waited for Thomas to step aside before he walked himself over to the tree. Grabbing the handle of the hatchet he gave a firm pull and it came loose. The first swing Illya took slow and easy to gauge the height. He was going to have a heck of time chopping it down at this angle. It was quite a bit lower than he wanted to be. However, it was where it was started. Once he got to the second and third swing he started to get a feel for it and then began chopping at the wood with a ferocity.

Thomas stepped back as Illya took over, allowing the Chip plenty of space to work. There was a small spot of pride, and irony, that he appreciated over watched Illya chop down a Christmas tree of all things. Never in a million years would he think that he would see a Chip, much less his son in law, out in the cold helping them get ready for a Christian holiday. The man had started out afraid and adamant that a Bible not be even in his own home, and now he was here trying to learn. Not only that, but he had helped Calysta on a few points too. It only took around ten heavy thwacks with the hatchet in the Chips hands for the tree to shudder with a loud crack and then start leaning. "Timber!" Thomas shouted as the tree arched downward and hit the snowy ground. Priscilla smiled and applauded some at seeing their Christmas tree ready to be taken home thanks to the two men's efforts. "It's a perfect tree," she nodded, "Harry would have liked it too. We had fake ones every year, set up for public display in the Presidental suite or in the house. Having a real one is a treat."

When the tree fell over Illya grinned. He was glad to be done with the tree business. "We have our hot chocolate now." After he'd poured a cup for everyone he poured his own and thought for a long moment. "I tink after dah holiday I chop dah tree up and we have big fire. We cook foods over et and we have party like Chippequoti." That was the best idea he could come up with to be sure that they didn't waste the tree or any of the left over food from the party. He knew that Christmas would be like Thanksgiving. Too much food.

The hot chocolate was a welcome warm up for the kids and for everyone else. Calysta helped Cypher and Lohgan try some without making a mess while Thomas and Priscilla enjoyed fuller cups of the rich drink. When it came to finally getting her own sip, it was cooling down a bit too much but it still tasted food and that was enough. At Illya's comment, she nodded her head in agreement. "I like that idea. The tree will be dry enough to burn at that point and we can cook some smores over the fire. I haven't done that in awhile and the kids would like it. We can use whatever left overs we have and maybe invite Terrence and Helen too if they would like to come?"

Somehow the hot chocolate tasted especially good when they were out here in the cold. Illya sipped his and tried to savor it, but he ended up finishing it off in about 2-3 sizable gulps. "I tink dat would work." Illya nodded in approval and he made rounds to top off drinks starting with the kids. They were smaller and needed more sugar and warmth than the rest of them.

Thomas had no objections for what would be done with the tree after it served its purpose and Priscilla nodded in approval as well. "It would be good to meet more of the Pithians and try to get to know them better too." With that decision made, Calysta sipped at her hot chocolate and waited for Cypher to finish up his. When he was done and the brown stain of chocolate decorated the top of his lip, he grinned up at his father and held up his hands, hoping to be picked up and carried now that his belly was full of warm stuff and he wanted to nap. "Dah, yah take deh tree home with me too, Papa said he have to put et inside the room and make et light up."

It was impossible to resist when his son held his fat little arms out like that. Cypher only looked chubbier with the coat on and Illya picked him up. "Mmm I dun tink I leave yah here. I take yah home wit dah tree and we set et up. Put all dose little treasures on et. Dah little treasures dat yah grandpa has. Eh?" Cypher nodded happily and nestled into his father's chest. Illya knew they had packed the extra child carrier and he figured Kalizda would be better off carrying Lohgan and Illya could strap Cypher to himself. "I tink maybe we put yah in little carry sack." Cypher didn't even protest and Illya wrapped his son in the sack and then tucked an extra blanket around him before he had Thomas help him load the tree onto the sled. "We jes drag et back like dis." Illya could already hear Cypher's breathing getting deeper and the boy shifted to bury his little face into the blanket. He really did like to be nearly suffocating with the heat.

Thomas helped to get the tree arranged on the sled and with Cypher happily tucked to his father inside the spare blanket, they headed of back to the ship. As they walked Thomas tugged the little sled along and struck up another song. This time it was Silent Night and Priscilla joined in readily because it was a song that she knew better and not only Traders tongue but in Terran as well. By the time they arrived back to the ship, Lohgan was snoozing in Calysta's arms, Rose was ready to go get warm with her book, and Cypher was out for the count buried in the blankets at his father's chest. Priscilla pointed to Cypher and smiled gently as the ramp opened up allowing the animals to bum rush inside first for food water and warmth. "If you hand him off to me I can tuck him into bed and you can help Thomas get the tree up. I think he might need a little bit of help."

Dragging the tree home was hard when it came to walking up the hills, but it was fairly easy to just push the tree on the sled down the other side and watch it go. When they were finally to the ship Illya was ready to go sit on the couch for a while with a pad over the anchors in his leg. Instead Priscilla made an offer that probably sounded great to everyone else and Illya nodded. A few more minutes wouldn't kill him. Carefully unstrapping the carrying sack from himself he let Cypher sink into Priscilla's outstretched hands and then he helped Thomas drag the tree into the animal bay. From there Illya used a vent hose and disconnected it long enough to blow all the snow out of the tree and then he hooked it back up to the port in the ceiling.

Together the two of them drug the tree into the ship and then Thomas did all the detail work of setting up the tree stand while Illya held onto the tree and he moved and adjusted the tree as Thomas specified. When it was finally up he let out a sigh of relief. Illya took himself to one of the recliners and he sat down in it and then leaned back with the foot rest up. The chair couldn't get his leg up high enough to give relief so he moved to the couch and then set his prosthetic up on one of the cushions while he laid on the floor. At least this way someone else could still sit on the other couch cushions if they wanted. "I jes nap here for a bit eh? When dah kids get up we put all dah decorations on et." Illya started to drift off to sleep when he felt a warm blanket drape over his chest and then he felt it rest over what remained of his right leg. Barely opening his eyes he saw Kalizda and grinned a little. "Tanks." His heated blanket felt good over the sore spots on his leg. Sleeping was almost always a good response to any kind of pain. A lot of times it helped ease it and sometimes dispel of it completely.

It barely felt like 15 minutes and one of the kids ran into the living room and bounced on the couch. Illya was just starting to push up on his elbows and he saw Cypher straddle the prosthetic and then he started to bounce. The jarring motion sent shocks of pain through the metal anchors in the bone of his right leg and he sat up enough that he could pull his son off his leg and then he groaned. "Yah dun do dat today. Meh leg hurts." He would never have guessed that all the skiing and the jumps on skis would have irritated the leg so much, but Illya figured a good portion of it was the fact that it was cold outside and he was out in the cold everyday and despite the extra padding there was nothing to keep the metal warm. The colder it got the more he hurt.

"Oh...sorreh Dah." Cypher didn't know how that leg could hurt. His mommy had told him that the leg that was made out of metal didn't hurt anymore and his dah couldn't feel it. Obviously that was wrong. Dah's metal leg still did have feelings. After a quiet moment the boy perked up and pulled the warm blanket off his Dah's chest. "We put treasures on tree now!"

Illya chuckled a little bit. He couldn't help finding a little humor in the boy's sudden outburst. "Go get yah mum, Aunt Priscilla, Lohgan, Rose, and Papa. We need dem all tah help." While Cypher was busily racing through the ship and gathering everyone Illya slowly got off the floor and pulled his leg from the couch. Once he was sitting up he folded the blanked and limped back toward the bedroom with it. Maybe later on he'd have Kalizda rub some soothing oils on his leg and then he'd wrap it up in the heated blanket. Perhaps that would ease the ache before he had to go out and do more training tomorrow.

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

 

[Silence]

Decorating the Christmas tree and the ship felt like a forever task. Illya sat for a good portion of it without saying why he chose to just help put hooks on the ornaments for the kids. Mostly he didn't want to worry Kalizda or spoil the fun at this moment. Cypher decorated one part of the tree, the center front and put every decoration he could in that one place. It was typical of a child his age. Rose tried to be more strategic with her placement of ornaments and Lohgan simply wanted to taste every ornament she could reach.

By the time the day was over Illya had to think about what he would get for everyone. He remembered Thomas saying something about gifts and Illya had made the rule that there would be nothing extravagant and that the limit on the presents would be a single present from whoever chose to buy something for them. Kalizda could get something for the kids and Illya could get something for them and that would make one present from each parent. Then the kids could shop too. They could only buy one present for each person. That was going to be the way of it. Lohgan was too small to buy gifts, but she would learn in time.

Illya sat in his bed with Kalizda for a long while. For the moment they were both looking for gifts on their pads and Illya had his leg wrapped up in the heated blanket and resting on stacks of pillows. They would have their 'work' later when they were done shopping and his leg felt better. The first thing he found for Kalizda was a simple, but logical gift. She needed a better piece of body armor on the side he ordered new arm and leg pieces for her too along with a decent helmet. She'd need all of it for future drills or any kind of missions that they would go on. It was all out war and he wasn't about to let her run around in anything less than the best kind of armor. Illya ordered her an adjustable piece with the metal inserts to make it sturdy and to ensure that the armor piercing rounds wouldn't kill her.

For Thomas it was easy. Illya had noticed that the man needed a new suit for fancy occasions since he'd had the bone surgery. Priscilla was a little more complex to buy for, but Illya settled with getting her a full length mirror. The woman seemed to enjoy dressing up and Illya remembered that ladies really liked having full length mirrors to make sure they looked acceptable. Asking a man for his opinion didn't seem to be good enough for them. For Rose there was only one sort of natural gift. She was a woman now and she deserved to get a gift like a woman should have. She already had her first ring and now Illya was going to get her a necklace. For Cypher, he got a heated blanket so the boy would quit stealing his and then for Lohgan he bought a little ship with wheels on it so she could sit on the ship and scoot herself around. The girl was at the stage that she wanted to scoot everywhere and what was better than having her own little ship. With his Christmas shopping done he shared the details of the gifts he got for everyone with Kalizda, except hers. She was going to have to wait to find out what he got for her. There was no need to duplicate each other if they were both buying gifts for the kids, her father and Priscilla.

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

Helen could see that Kalizda was making significant improvement in her studies. She was one of her brighter students. "You've made enough progress that I'll show you how to make his medicine. It is not easy, but you will need to know. You will need to keep some of the herbs always in your garden and have some that grow in your ship too. It is important that he takes it every day." Pointing to one of the plants she continued. "Always be careful with that one. It is powerful, but too much can make him sick and it is deadly in larger doses. Keep it away from the children."

While she worked she thought of the ship they had begun preparing to go back with the councilwoman to Pytra. There were a total of about 30 that wanted to return with them. These first thirty that the council woman had been told about some weeks ago was simply a first round to ensure that they had a decent ally to work with. Some would remain and others may return to the planet here. At least they would have a chance to survive the war and perhaps procure a better home land afterword. They wanted to be on the winning side, but siding with the Federation would never get them the results they wanted. Staying back from the Alliance because it was shaky would only ensure that it remained that way. If they joined the Alliance it would be stronger yet and that would help ensure they were on the winning side and then they could bargain for what they wanted.

When they finally sat down to eat lunch and have a small break she took a deep breath. "I have noticed that you watch me and you seem uneasy. It is understandable. Many of the Chippequoti hate my kind and many of my kind hate them. It is as old as the war. For some it was justified and for others it was not. I'm sure some of your husband's distrust has become your own." She wasn't about to assume that Kalizda would blindly trust her because she'd been kind. It was likely her Chip didn't trust them and it was right that Kalizda would take some of her cues from her agreed.

"I know that Terrence and I have been invited to board your ship and travel home with you and you have offered for us to come to the fire tonight, but I think there are some things you should know before I hold you to these offers." Helen was reluctant to tell anyone this story, but it had to be told at some point and it was better now before the woman felt she couldn't trust any of the Pithians. A single woman's unfortunate past could change so much when Kalizda had placed quite a bit of her trust on her.

"There was a time during the war that I joined a peace organization and we traveled during the war to try and help those who were injured. Those on both sides. It was an idealistic movement, but it was not reasonable." Helen sighed, "Like many of my colleagues I had hoped that our hospitals and clinics would help both sides see that they had more in common. However, they would raid the clinics. Both sides and slaughter any injured that did not belong to them." Eventually we had to move all our clinics to neutral territory, or to ships. That didn't last forever either."

Shaking her head slightly she stared at the table for a long moment as if she was trying hard to rid her mind of the memory that would not leave. "I was captured by the Federation at one point. They forced me to work in their labs and to develop medicines that would kill Chippequoti. They wanted me to make something that would be contagious and it would attack their bones. There was one patient I remembered very well. He was wild eyed like yours. I knew he'd been injected with the poison, but it didn't stop him from fighting. I worked day and night to find a cure. I knew the Federation didn't know enough about my work to tell what I was doing, but the Chip knew." Helen's eyes started to water. "He was only one of several subjects. Many of them died, but they were not contagious and so the Federation did not care. I knew if I could treat him and if I could cause their test to come up negative that they would abandon that drug and it could possibly save the Chippequoti. He made me want to do something for his people because he was kind to me. He could see I was just as scared as he was."

Taking a careful sip of her drink she let out a long shaky breath afterword. "He helped me escape one night. It was just the two of us. He still wasn't in good health and I knew he was sick, but he somehow made it through the fight on the docks and into a ship that we stole. I flew him to neutral territory and nursed him back to health. It took months. The disease they infected him with had eaten away at his bones and he could barely walk some days. I loved him, but he never fully recovered. We both knew if he had received treatment earlier that he would have probably recovered fully, but I didn't discover an effective treatment until long after he'd been sick in the Federation testing center."

Helen glanced at Kalizda. It was hard to tell if the little woman believed her, or not. "He begged me to go back with him to his people. He wanted so badly for me to help teach them the medicine. So we went together." Helen pursed her lips and chewed on the lower lip for a long second before continuing. "We both knew it wouldn't be safe for me to step off the ship first, so he did. They didn't even wait for me to step out behind him and a line of men standing near the port shot him over 30 times. I stayed in the ship for 5 days till a group of them wearing masks came in and discovered that I was there wearing my old peace organization uniform and they drug me out of the ship and held me under surveillance for weeks. After a time I was released and I was given a single student. An older woman, Belen. I taught her and then left when the war became too dangerous for me to stay any longer. I couldn't stay when I saw the faces of so many warriors and I couldn't help wondering if one of them had taken part in killing my Chip. I understood why they had done it, but they didn't know I had a cure and he wasn't contagious anymore. I taught what I could and I left. There are some things that cannot be changed, but this time I want to change the war before it is too late. I don't want the Federations poisons to be un-treatable. I worked in the labs and I know what their most effective poisons were and I know how to treat them in early and mid cases to heal the sick. I'm a doctor, I heal and it makes me sick to see those who could be cured killed because of fear, ignorance, and a lack of resources. The Chippequoti are not the only ones that it happened to."

When she'd finally finished she met Kalizda's gaze. "Now you know what kind of woman I was and am. Now you understand why I do what I feel I must do. It is up to you whether you're willing to take the chance of taking me back with you. The Federation will want me back if they find me. They can't have their secrets spilled, or greatest weapons dismantled by an old woman. It is up to you what you will do with what I've told you. Take your time and decide if you want me on your ship."

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

Tabit sat with Kirit in the new restaurant near the edge. It supposedly served dishes from the fringe and some Chippequoti food. Mostly it was a place for exotic foods. About as exotic as you could get on Pytra. Looking out over the edge she saw where they had lit the mist with colored lights and made a sort of show out of it. In a way it was pretty and at the same time comical how they would try to make a show out of something like the deadly mists. When she looked up again Kirit was staring at her intently and he asked if she was happy. "Why would you ask that? I'm perfectly happy. Stressed at times yes, but i would do it all over again."

A little smirk played over her face. "You know, it was difficult to hold back when I had such a young and handsome man pursuing me." Taking on a more quiet tone she got serious for a moment. "You're very good to me. I've never had a man that knew I was Chippequoti and still have him care so deeply for me and be so patient. I know that I act strangely sometimes, but don't mistake it for unhappiness. There are just some things in my past that still make me wonder if I'll be safe here and safe with you. I know that I will be, but experience is a very difficult thing to reverse in your mind."

 

[aryamajor]

Decorating the Christmas tree with the kids was something Calysta had been looking forward to since Thanksgiving. Once the fresh smelling tree was placed in their living room right beside the bay window where everyone could see the snow falling, her father wrapped the strange pin-point lights around it, making the branches light up in a rainbow of colors. Next came the part everyone liked and that was to hang the ornaments. Illya busied himself relaxing on the couch and putting hooks on the little baubles, which was perfectly fine. She knew his leg was hurting him after finding him propped up, so his task of outfitting the ornaments while comfortably propped up was a good one for the moment.

Calysta watched and helped guide Lohgan in the few that she put on to the crisp green branches, though she spent most of her time trying to chew them. "Let's not do that," she chuckled, pulling a shiny ornament from her daughter's gums. That caused a bit of a grump moment which was soon ended by replacing the ornament with a chilled pacifier to soothe her itchy mouth where teeth were starting to emerge. Cypher was far more proud of his work, putting every ornament he was giving squarely in the front so everyone could it, and asking for her to look at each one. "Mam! I put that one dere!" She chuckled and pointed to Papa who was already offering another ornament over. "I see it," Calysta smiled, "Go get another one from Papa, yeah?" Rose even pitched in, placing each dangling trinket with precise care on the branches, making sure it looked proper before departing to get another one.

When all of that was done, Thomas did his favorite part of any Christmas tree decoration day and placed the angel on top where could begin her silent 12 Day vigil until Christmas Day. Once everything was arranged, the lights were turned out and they got to watch the tree glitter in the dark against the backdrop of the falling snow outside.

"Now that's a white Christmas," Thomas grinned, happy with his work.

Calysta couldn't resist the urge to climb down to the floor and shimmy into her back under the tree so she could look up through the glowing branches. It always looks like another world and it wasn't long before her son got curious and joined her, plopping down beside her. "Man, what are yah doing?"

"C'mere," she chuckled, scooting his heavy body closer, "Look up and see the lights. They look like stars, yeah?" Soon, Rose grew curious to see what they were looking at and lay down with them as well. It was fun to look up into the tree like that so, until one of the dogs wandered by and gave the tree long stare of the trying to decide whether or not it was a place to pee. Nobody wanted to come away wet, so they left the bottom of the tree alone and had dinner together once it was ready.

Long after dinner and after the children were put to bed, Calysta settled Illya down and brought out some of the clove massage oil. It would be peppery enough to relax the muscles in his false knee. She rolled down the blankets to get to his right leg and warmed up the oil between her fingers before starting to work on the muscle where his leg met the metal with a gentle touch. He began looking for Christmas presents while she massaged his leg with smooth swipes from the knee up. "I like that for Lohgan, and I think the little blanket for Cypher would be good. For Rose, I think I will get her a makeup kit. They may have a few of those in the small shop in town."

They talked off and on, swapping ideas but she could always tell when she hit a sore spot on his leg. His knee would tense away from her and winced from time to time, indicating to her that she should be more gentle in that area. When she was done Calysta wrapped it gently into the heated blanket then crawled into bed alongside him, stretching an arm over his broad chest before relaxing into his shoulder. "Just take it easy at training tomorrow, hm?" she whispered as she laid a lasting kiss on his lips.

***********

The next day, Illya went out to training leaving it up to her to take care of the Christmas shopping. Calysta wrapped up in her heavy coat and took Aymos along with her as she tugged the sled into town. The walk up hill would be harder in the snow when she returned but at least the trek there would be easy. She simply hopped on the sled and coasted down then terraced hills of ice with her pup in front of her, tail wagging and tongue half out of his mouth. "Hang on," Calysta grinned as the skimmed down the last hill. Aymos' paws danced on the wooden slats as he tried to keep his balance when the sled pitched forward for the final plunge into the small town below. Since coming to the planet her sledding skills had improved immensely. No longer was she bouncing around simply trying to avoid snow drifts, she could guide them along with ease, almost as if it were flying a skimmer.

At the bottom of the hill, Calysta disembarked and Aymos leapt off to walk by her side to their first stop of the day. The small General Store wasn't exactly the finest or the broadest in selection, but they did have a few useful things. "Sit and stay, Aymos," she ordered the pup in traders tongue before walking inside. A blast of heat billowed over her from the over head heater, sending her long hair into a whirlwind until she stepped further inside. There were a few Pithian's milling around and one standing at the clerk station near the back. They didn't seem to mind that she had come in, hardly looking up at the sound of the bell attached to the door, so Calysta picked up a basket and went around the shelves to see what she could find.

There were no makeup kits or terrariums, but they had some things to work with. She picked up styling brushes, though she had little idea which brushes did what exactly, they looked similar to the ones Priscilla used and that was a good start. Next, she wandered into the cosmetics and picked out all the colors of eye shadow, lipstick, and mascara she thought would look pretty on Rose. Some of it was probably more modest than what her daughter would wear, still, it would be a nice set of things for her to have now that she was interested in making-up. Next she went to the much busier trading post in an outdoor market. There was a nice, leather bound book written in Traders' Tongue she found for her father. It looked to be a history of sorts, perhaps a history on Pithians? The book was fairly old, but her father enjoyed things like that. For Priscilla, she found a set of teas and a small pair of what looked to be opal earrings. They weren't particularly expensive and they would look pretty on the blonde woman. Lohgan would have a long toy snake filled with soft stuffing to go with her rider toy.

With half the shopping done, that left her two men to consider. Cypher's was the easier to think of and the hardest to obtain, requiring her to load up the sled once more with Aymos by her side and to haul the increasingly heavy parcels toward the greenhouse. There, she found exactly what she needed for him at the back aisle on the top shelf out of reach. "Excuse me," she said to a passing working, "Can you pull the glass greenhouse box down? The bigger one? And the heat lamp that goes with it?" He grumbled at bit at the request but obliged her nonetheless in bringing out to the sled. Once that was done, she picked out some sand, rocks, and a few plants to go into the glass box. It wasn't a true terrarium like they might find on Kinte, having been hobbled together piece by piece rather than sold in a kit, yet it would turn out just as nice.

Illya was the only one left now and she knew what she wanted to do. Scurrying down to the clothing store, she went to work finding exactly what she wanted. Despite the time it took, and the odd looks she received, Calysta was happy with her purchases and started the trip home. It had been awhile since she had been out shopping for Christmas and wrapping presents was a particular favorite of hers. She enjoyed making them look entirely perfect even if all the paper would be ripped to shreds in the end. The trip up the hills was hard with the weight of the sled behind her, causing her to take nearly an hour walk in what should have been a thirty-minute hike. Was she that out of shape that she should be feeling dizzy? Ignoring the tiredness, she made a vow to herself to start walking in the mornings again with the kids for exercise and brought her treasures inside.

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

Christmas Eve came around and Thomas was more than excited to read the Nativity Story from the Bible after dinner while everyone sat around drinking hot chocolate. Lohgan was too young to understand of course, and Cypher had a hard time keeping still, opting to play with his hands while he listened. Rose listened with rapt attention to every word, however, and smiled at the peaceful ending. She remembered the story from Christmases in the past with Papa Thomas and it was always one of her favorite stories of the Bible. "And now the presents get left under the tree, right?" she beamed. At the word presents, Cypher's attention was finally caught and his eyes widened. "We get presents too? Does dah baby bring dem?" He had heard Papa saying something about the baby born with animals, and there were gifts.

Thomas inwardly cringed at the misconception and took a deep breath to gather his thoughts on how to explain it. "Jesus is the greatest gift of all and in celebration of his birthday, presents will be put under the tree so we remember how important it is to give and share."

The explanation went over about as well as Calysta expected, with her son missing out on the 'giving and sharing' portions and focusing right on the 'presents under the tree' bit. "Will dere be one for me and Monster? Can I have dem now?" he asked, jumping up to his feet excitedly. When did her son get such selective hearing? Calysta shook her head and patted him towards the hallway. "There will be here tomorrow, but you have to sleep good for me first."

A stormy pout came over her son's lips and he crossed his arms. When he was younger, that look was nigh impossible to resist but Calysta knew better than to let him get away with it now. "Please can I have et now?" All the charm he had gone into that pretty please but his mother still denied him, sending him stomping down the hall. "The sooner you go to sleep the sooner tomorrow will be here and you can have them," she called after him.

Once both of the children were in bed, Calysta got to work wrapping. Normally, she would have wrapped days before and placed the presents under the tree, but with the dogs and the kids both being too curious for their own good that wasn't possible. It didn't take long to lay out her chosen paper, a sparkling silver with green bows to go on top, and cut each square with near laser precision. The boxes all got a neat tuck, fold, and tape before a bow was arranged neatly on top for fun. All the remained was Cypher's present which wouldn't be wrapped, but still needed assembly. She was midway through pouring sand into Monster the Spider's new home when Illya came into the bedroom looking flustered. Tape was stuck to his fingers and a papery bow was drooping off of what looked to be one of the boxes they had ordered. He didn't have to say a word to her, she simply held out her hands and invited him to sit while she wrapped the rest of the gifts.

By the time she was done it was well past midnight, but she could look at her work under the glittering tree with pride along with a tinge of excitement. "I cant wait for them to unwrap it all tomorrow," she smiled, taking Illya's hand, "C'mon lets go to bed."

*********

"MAM! DAH! IT'S CHRISTMAS! GET UP! GET UP!"

*Boom*

The sound of their son hitting their door at 5am before managing to pull the handle to actually open the door was their wake up call. Cypher bounded in and leapt right on top of Calysta's stomach with a triumphant grin. "I slept like you said Mam and I looked at dah tree! Dere's presents! Get up, Mam! Pease!" He was bouncing all around, rattling the bed and then pounced on his father, giving him the same glorious start to the morning. Calysta groaned slightly at the sore spots where her son's knees hand landed and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth as soon as she could, but it was too late. Lohgan was already cooing in her crib, having woken up to the sound of her brother yelling. In a desperate attempt to get them both back to sleep, she rolled out of bed and shuffled over to her baby girl to lull her back into sleep. "Shh...shh...a few more minutes, yeah?"

No sooner had she said the words than Rose peeped her head into the wide open door with an excited grin on her face. "Can we go look yet?"

Calysta rubbed at her eyes, still rocking Lohgan and shook her head. "No, Papa isn't even up yet."

Rose's grin widened. "Yes he is, I just passed him in the hall. He said he was going to make coffee because you'd need it."

Giving Illya a look, she chuckled sleepily and picked up Lohgan. She knew once all the excitement of gifts and toys wore off that everyone would settle down and she might even get to sneak a nap with her husband while the kids snoozed. "Well, everyone is up now. Let's go. It's Christmas time."

*********

It was always interesting to see how different her children were at opening the gift. Rose was meticulous and opened them slowly to keep from tearing the delicate paper too much, while Cypher tore through his wrapping like a tornado. Lohgan chewed the corner of her wrapping into submission and managed to get a plump finger into the wet tear she had created. All of the faces were the same though. Pure delight came across all of them. Rose held the necklace close and begged for Illya to put it on her so she could wear it with her new make up all day. After a few attempts at trying to get the tiny clamp to close with his big fingers, Calysta helped them, leaning over the couch to make sure the clasp was well in place. "It's perfect!" she grinned, "Thank you, Wolf and Kalizda." Without further ado, she scurried off to try out her new presents and admire her necklace in the mirror.

Cypher was happy for his terrarium, and Calysta made sure to explain something very important to him. "This is a big, new home for Monster. It has a mesh lid. You must always close the lid, do you understand? Or he will escape and you don't want him on the loose to get hurt." Her boy actually listened when it came to that hairy insect and he nodded carefully. "Dah will put it in your room later so you can see Monster inside it, okay?" The attention didn't stay long however and he was off to grab his next present. When the paper flew from a boy-sized heated blanket, he wrapped himself up in the green fleece with an excited squeal, then dashed up and down the hall with it. "This blanket es for me!"

Lohgan's reaction was the best one. As soon as she put her daughter in the tiny model rocket, the girl's feet knew exactly what to do. They started at an awkward shuffle, then built up momentum when she realized she could propel herself forward. Before long she was scooting along at top speeds around the living room leaving no toe or tail unscathed. A look of joy like no other was captured on her face, and Calysta wondered if that was the same look she had when she discovered flying. "I think she might be a pilot yet," Calysta chuckled.

It was her turn and Illya sat a massive and slightly heavy box in her lap. Tilting her head, she looked to at him and then to the large, and admittedly poorly wrapped present. "What in the Wilds..." She untied the bow, which was probably keeping the wrapping together, and started to dig in. Shifting aside some papers and package puffs, Calysta found light weight and durable armor pieces. It wasn't anything like the present she had gotten him, and she worried for a moment if he would like his. Still, she liked hers and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. "This is great, I really needed a new set and this is a fantastic one," Calysta told him with a smile. He wanted her to be protected and her eyes that was what mattered.

Finally, it was her turn to give him his presents and she handed him two boxes wrapped with perfect precision in silver paper. The first was a tiny box and she waited eagerly to see what he might think of the large gold ring inside. "I know you don't wear rings or jewelry out in the field and with good reason, but I thought since you had retired, maybe you might like to have something to match mine in the Terran tradition." Next, came a larger box which she was less nervous about him liking the contents of. When he lifted the lid, a handsome robe could be seen tucked neatly inside. In truth, she found the thing to be a bit too busy, and overdone, but she knew he would like the colors along with the pattern. "Something warm to put on for later."

***********

As predicted, the children were crashed out in various spots through the ship by mid-morning which left her and Illya to relax with each other as they pleased before the cooking began. She picked up the bits up paper around the living room, then fed the animals before stretching out on the couch next to her Chip. Leaning back against him, she kissed his cheek and started to doze. There had been a strange feeling of tiredness lurking in her ever since she had come off the herbs Helen had made for her and Calysta wondered if maybe there was an after effect to them. Next time she saw the woman she would ask if that was a symptom to be expected.

Calysta napped off and on until it was time to cook. There would be no turkey this time, but an elk roast with potatoes, carrots, celery, and large mushrooms was doused in gravy alongside more casseroles, fresh bread, and delicious cobbler dolloped in cream for dessert was a fine substitute. The evening rolled around and Priscilla gave her thanks to them both once again before retiring to her room. "You know, Christmas was Harry's favorite holiday," she said, her hands wrapping around her mug of coffee, "I wasn't sure how I would do today, but being with you and your family has been a blessing that I could never have imagined. You made today a good day. Thank you."

"That's what family does," Calysta replied with a smile, "And you are always welcome as a part of ours." And in a way, that was true. The woman had been with them through hard times and treated the children as if they were her own when Calysta needed help. They couldn't have asked for a better family member, even if it wasn't by blood and the circumstances of her adoption were tragic.

When the day was done, Calysta retreated to their bedroom before Illya could finish the dishes and slid his last present from under the bed. Waiting in a pink box was probably the boldest and sexiest set of lingerie she had ever worn or could find on their icy planet. Putting the top on was easy, but the leggings took time and she was hardly expert at them. How Tabit or even Priscilla managed anything fancier than this, she would never know.

Hopping around from one foot to the other, Calysta tumbled back onto the bed and managed to slide the last bit of lace up to her thigh as Illya walked through the door. How had he done the dishes so fast?! Or maybe she was just that slow at putting on stockings? Shaking the thoughts from her head, she managed to strike a pose so he could see her shear stockings with the sexy black line running up the back of her legs. "Merry Christmas?" she chuckled, hoping he didn't mind the haphazard delivery.

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

The day after Christmas it was business as usual. Calysta kissed lllya goodbye before starting out in the morning to Helen's house. Now that the holidays were over she would return to her herb studies and in somw ways it was a welcome thing to come back to. She enjoyed learning from the Pithian woman and while they didn't engage in much extra talk, there was a mutual respect and calmness she had come to admire. Today Helen wanted to teach her to make Illya's seizure medicine and it had been working so well, Calysta was eager to try it, paying close attention to everything thing the woman said. "Not too much," she nodded, taking careful note of the measurements used.

They had already spoken about how many Pithian's to expect to be caravanning back to Kaereal with them. 30 was a fair amount and the would all have to be given proper identification to be allowed access, something she had been working on with Kirit, though each message was delayed by days. It wasn't until they sat down for a quiet cup of tea that Helen truly broke the silence. Calysta waited for a long moment studying Helen after she finished speaking. She had to respect the woman for speaking plainly and it did clear up a few things that she already knew. Sitting in front of her was the way to prevent the people from ever suffering an attack like what happened on Qouti and while it had come at a great cost, it was strange to think that chance had lead them here together. It wasn't beyond her that Illya could have very well been the one to have ordered her agreed shot and killed before she could even get off the ship so long ago. Knowing Belen made it unmistakable she had been to Illya's old home around the same time frame and it would be plausible that he was the one who had done given what the Federation had done to infect the people there. Then again, it could have very well been anyone else too. They would never know who killed the man specifically, and there were cause to for pain on both sides. Pain caused by the Federation. She didn't believe in divine providence necessarily, but the idea of it struck her for a moment. There would be certain risks of taking her aboard for sure, and she would have to talk to Illya on this, but her instinctual answer had to be given. "Helen," she said putting down her tea, "Thank you for telling me the truth."

Meeting the woman's eyes, she sat back some, gauging how she should put what she wanted to say. Apologizing wouldn't make the situation any better or any worse than it already was, and Helen struck her as the straightforward type. "I think that you would have to be incredibly brave to do what you did and while I will need to have a talk with my husband over the details of why the Federation would target my ship, possibly more so than we already are, I am prepared to do what it takes to make sure that you reach the Alliance safely so you can make that difference again and there is no safer place that I can think of than aboard with us."

Carefully Helen sat back a little as she listened to Kalizda's answer. The woman seemed to take it all in stride. Perhaps she knew what her husband was and perhaps she didn't. At any rate it wasn't her place to tell her. There was still a level of her own concern. If he was the same as she was thinking it hardly made sense what he was doing now. He was very different than rumor, but perhaps now. Maybe he had simply changed his tactics and he had become more sneaky instead of being very clear in everything he did. Still, it seemed that his little wife was a forthcoming woman and so far he'd been forthcoming as well. "Hmm...there is some concern being on board the same ship as Illya Black-Wolf. I must admit that if he's the same as I'm thinking it gives me reason to be uncomfortable. It is many weeks and a long journey to your home."

It was interesting to see the change in attitude that her words had over the woman. Not a few weeks ago she was near demanding her price of help was to ride aboard their ship to the Alliance. Now, she was feeling uncomfortable having known who Illya was or at least have guessed. If Helen was going to state she was uncomfortable, Calysta was going to come out with why that might be the reason and just make it plain. "You would worry because you are Pithian and relations between Chippeqouti and Pithian are not favorable or you would be concerned that his actions in the previous war have affected you personally when you were on Qouti?"

"I would worry because relations are poor and I worry because if he is Illya Black - Wolf from the war then I know that he did affect me personally during the war." Helen stared at her for a long moment. "He was not known for the kinds of things he is in this war. This war your people see him as a hero of sorts, but in the past war he was very different if he is the same man. The Illya Black-Wolf from the previous war had taken part in killing wounded Federation soldiers in the neutral territories. True, the Federation started it, but he pursued with equal violence and cruelty. I have had time to think about it and observe the news I hear. At first I thought that perhaps the name was coincidence and he seemed different than I remembered many Chippequoti. It was rumored that Illya Black-Wolf from the war died of injuries, but it was also rumored he is the one you chose to agree with it. Not all the news that reaches the fringe is reliable, but I believe it more after I've heard the training reports. This is why I'm nervous."

Calysta kept her eyes trained on Helen as she spoke about Illya's actions in the past war, naming her concerns. They weren't unfounded or unfair at all, and at least now the fear was out in the open. She had to choose the words she used next carefully and fairly. Revealing Illya as himself with a confirmation could make him a target or it could cause Helen to take some drastic action, and while she wanted to very much to defend Illya, and still would, it would be wrong for Helen to travel with him not knowing. "He is Illya Black-wolf," Calysta said carefully, "And I do know...some of the things...that he has done in the past. But I would ask that you think to your own experience for a moment, you are not the same woman who was forced to work for the Federation those years ago and neither is he necessarily the same as what you know either. He is kind and was willing to look past his prejudices to be here and train against the Federation despite grievances on both sides. He's been kind and forth coming with you and all we want is to live in peace with the war is done. "

Working her jaw Helen listened, but it was not what she expected. "I've tried, but it is difficult. I have these suspicions to myself and let you and him work under false names. I have not told my son everything that he did in the past because I know if others knew they would want to kill your agreed." Pausing for a moment she studied the woman's face before continuing. "You must understand that it is difficult and I have tried to lie to myself since you first arrived. I tried to tell myself the name was a coincidence and that he was too calm to be that man, that he was injured, sick and in need of care. His scars made me think he had to be that Illya Black-Wolf, but I chose not to believe it and then my son has told me about the training and my fears have only become more." Helen couldn't help herself, in some ways she'd imagined what it would have been like if somehow the Federation officers responsible for the worst crimes and Illya Black-Wolf had all been under her care what she would do. Now she'd faced one and she'd cared for him the same as any other and yet she knew horrible things could still come from and of him. "But...You're right. I was forced to do terrible things and I am a different woman. I will do my best to believe the same about your agreed. For all our sakes I pray that you're right."

She could see where the woman was coming from. What doctor and healer would want to live and work alongside a man with Illya's past reputation? What Chip would want to work along side a woman who had probably killed thousands of them too? At some point, the fighting had to end and they would have to work together in face of those wrongs. This was a good first step, and she could only hope that Helen meant what she said. There was a certain way about her, that she wondered if the woman would want to kill Illya herself and being aboard the ship would give her prime opportunity to do it, but if that were the case she had her chance to do it long ago with her suspicions. There was also the fact that they wanted the Alliance favor against the Federation, so it was in her interest to keep him alive. Helen also didn't strike Calysta as the type to want to murder someone either. "I understand your concerns and his past is not perfect. No one's is at this point. I have faith and trust in my agreed though," Calysta replied, "Just as he has faith and trust in me. I couldn't sit back and watch the Federation kill the Chippeqouti as they were and that same belief applies to you and your people too." Taking a sip of her tea, she smiled a little and nodded. "I will talk to him tonight about it and make sure we are on the same page."

It sounded like the little woman was so confident in the change that she believed took place. Helen was in part sure that the man changed and in other ways she was not so sure. To think that she'd changed since she was a young woman was in part naive. Of course, her body changed and she changed in some of her feelings, but that was because of maturity. There were more parts of her that didn't change. What Pithian woman hadn't fantasized about the chance to kill certain parties of the war? At one time they talked about what the world would be like without those parties and yet, had they considered that it would be any different. There was possibly more to the war than the men. They fought with a conviction of sorts and she understood some of the older women now, but she still clung to the idea that perhaps it was the men and not the war. "I will wait to see what comes of your talk with him.."

Calysta finished her tea and a growing sense of dread filled her stomach along with the liquid. This was something Illya wouldn't like, and she knew it. There had been wrongs on both sides and yet they still had to work together for something greater than the past. Helen seemed to understand that, and she knew Illya would too despite whatever initial reactions he had. Still it would be a conversation he had with him after the bonfire that night. He could spend more time with Helen and get to know her as a person while he could do the same. Perhaps then, that might lessen the blow of such story for both of them.

"Thank you for the lesson and the tea," Calysta said, bowing as a traditional Kaerelean would, "I appreciate you telling me what you did. Come and join us at the bonfire tonight. There will be plenty of food which is the least I can do to repay you for the kindness." With that said, she went back to the ship to help clean up and chop up the Christmas tree which she hoped would fuel more than just a fire.

 

[Silence]

Christmas was a very complex sort of holiday. Illya wasn't really sure what all went into it. There was strange food, a story that must have been tradition of sorts and then the presents all wrapped under the tree. There was even the one that he had held aside and wrapped himself. It was a mangled mess, but he couldn't have Kalizda seeing her present before Christmas. Hopefully she wouldn't be upset with his terrible wrapping job. Wrapping was not one of his talents and he knew that as soon as he'd tried wrapping presents for the kids, Priscilla and her dad.

Naturally, Cypher wanted to open the presents after the story. If Kalizda hadn't spoken up he would have told the kids no. There was no reason to have the kids opening gifts and then getting excited just before bed. With such a long day Illya was more than glad to get in bed with Kalizda. It was a good night to snuggle and just enjoy being with her. His leg was feeling a little sore after the days of training, but some nightly treatment of it helped and Kalizda was getting good at administering a light massage to the muscles around the knee. He probably should have started with the little massages before his knee was so sore he could barely stand it, but now he was having a little help every night and it was slowly improving.

When Kalizda was finished rubbing his knee and they could just lay in the bed together again he grinned at her. "I tink maybe yah let meh massage yah too. Maybe yah back or yah feet get tired?" He knew sometimes she liked to have her back massaged and she was always worried about him, but someone had to worry about her too. Illya draped one arm over Kalizda, "Hmm...maybe I ask for special oil bat for yah at pleasure house when we go home eh? Meh recruits here do good. I tink in only 2 weeks dey will be done." That didn't give them long, but the Pithians were more than capable of defending their planet with only 2 weeks more of training.

Pithians were naturally stealthy and having an entire race of stealthy and vicious people was beneficial for defending an equally dangerous home. They seemed to fit this place well enough and Illya wasn't sure he wanted to take any of them home with him, but they had made a deal and there would be about 30 of them travelling home behind their ship. How the other Chippequoti would feel about sharing the home on Pytra with them would be difficult to tell. Perhaps the elders would forbid any action if they were to live on Pytra in peace, or maybe they would silently condone acts of violence. Of course the elders would never openly agree to something like that, but there was more than one way to read the silence of an elder. Chippequoti had learned a long time ago that silence was the same as permission. So long as the elders did not openly speak out against an action they in part or completely agreed with an action when they said nothing.

Somewhere in the middle of his thoughts he managed to fall asleep and Illya found himself peeping through the slabs of stone to see his mother and Edgar speaking. They were so quiet and he didn't know what it was about. He wasn't actually supposed to try and listen, but he knew Asha was going to come get him soon when he saw Yvonne grab the necklace with the seal from Edgar. That meant the elders were tasking her with a job.

Suddenly the wind was hot and he heard the rumbling of ships overhead. The bombing raid! There wasn't anywhere to hide and he dreaded what was coming. Illya already knew what would happen, but h couldn't change it. Somehow their position had been given away. There was a certain terror in knowing what would happen to them and still finding himself helpless. Suddenly there was a sharp bang and a voice yelling "Mam!!!" Illya sat up in the bed with a start. He was barely spared the dream, but it didn't change the horrible pounding in his chest, or the fact that it felt like his head was going to explode with every pound of their son's fist.

Even if the pounding on the door had been brief it was still reverberating in Illya's head. He was even less prepared for the sudden assault that his son would grace him with. Cypher launched himself from Kalizda's lap right into Illya's and Illya jumped. "Ok..." Mornings like this were usually a little more difficult to start off so quickly and he was startling a bit easier than usual. "Ok, we get up." Illya knew there wasn't going to be any holding the kids back at this point. Everyone was up and the kids were anxious to open their gifts and see what they got. Slowly pulling himself out of bed Illya slipped into his clothes and then he took hold of Lohgan while Kalizda got up and got dressed. It was thankfully a day off and regretfully one where Illya didn't get to rest as much as he would have liked, but the idea of having a nap in the afternoon was good.

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

All the other presents had been opened and Illya and Kalizda were the only ones left. Illya presented her with the poorly wrapped present. "Dah wrapping does nut mean dat dah present es bad. Jes...well yah know dat I'm nut good at et." Even if she knew he wasn't it stil felt like something he should offer an explanation for. Kalizda was the one person that wrapped everyone-else's gifts so beautifully and she got a gift that looked horrible.

Somehow it didn't seem to bother Kalizda and she was even pleased with the gift inside. A grin spread over Illya's face. "I get yah dah best one. Et has adjustable straps here..." Taking the torso part of the armor he held it up and showed it to her. "Den yah can adjust how dah metal sits inside and dat will offer yah best protection. I tink about getting yah little hand guard for yah dominant hand." Some people liked them and some didn't, so he was thinking that perhaps letting her try one on when they got home would be the better choice. Then she could decide if she thought it was a good addition to the armor, or if it was too en-cumbersome. "Maybe I help yah get et all adjusted later when we done having nap eh?" It was somewhat impossible not to get a little bit excited about the armor. Illya liked these sort of things and they were familiar in a good way.

When it was his turn to open presents he frowned a little. "I tought we agree jes one." Still, if she had got two then he would see what it was. The first present was a gold ring and at first he didn't know why until she explained. "Hmm...I like et." Even if he was confused by some of the tradition in the fact that it included men wearing a ring he didn't mind. It was nice and she got him a good color. Gold was always a favorite. At first he went to slip it on his right hand, but she corrected him and had Illya put on his left ring finger. With a chuckle he looked at the ring on his finger and shook his head. "Now all dah women know dat yah meh woman eh?" The second box he was curious about and he couldn't help showing his curiosity. Even if she broke the rules he was still feeling a bit excited. Pulling the tape off the paper he tried to open this one more carefully and ended up tearing the paper anyway. Since it ripped he decided not to worry about it anymore and simply tore it off the rest of the way.

Inside the second box was a large open robe of sorts. Illya felt the inside of it with one hand and he grinned. "Dis es very soft." He wasn't sure on what occasion he would wear it, but it did feel like it would be comfortable. "Tank yah." Leaning a little closer to Kalizda he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

The rest of the day was spent helping Cypher get his spider set up 'comfortably' in its new home so that Cypher could watch it. The boy loved watching his spider and this was one gift that Illya was grateful for. Finding Monster in his boxers had been a rather shocking and unpleasant discovery. Morning stretched into afternoon and then evening. After the last meal of the day Illya offered to do the dishes. "I jes wash dem up eh?" Kalizda had been busy enough and he noticed that she was a bit groggy in the mornings. He wasn't sure why that was, but she probably needed the extra sleep. Thomas decided to help with the dishes and it made them go even faster.

When Illya finally got back to the room he opened the door wide and then spotted his Kalizda half falling over herself and then striking a very alluring pose. "Uh....." Illya's eyes went wide and he stared at her with his mouth gaping before he had brain enough to shut the door. "Yes...." That was the only word that came to mind at the moment. It was certainly a Merry Christmas when she looked like that. "Wow, I mean yah." Letting out a big breath he leaned close enough to kiss her and then placed a hand on her right leg. "I tink I have fun helping yah take dese long socks off." These long socks she wore were so risque and exciting. There was nothing quite like them and the rest of the outfit was horribly inappropriate and terribly exciting at the same time. Illya worked one arm behind her back and gently slid her toward the center of the bed so he could get on the bed with her. "I tink make et impossible for meh nut tah be excited." Kissing her on the lips again he moved with gentle pecks toward her earlobe where he began whispering sweet nothings and then worked his way to her neck.

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

Only a few days after Christmas all the little charms and treasures got packed away into their boxes again. Even if they made no sense, they were kind of pretty and Illya decided he would miss them. There was still the great part of having a bonfire. That was something that Illya was looking forward to. All he had to do after Thomas had all his stuff off the tree was take it outside and chop it up.

It didn't take long for Illya to chop the wood and get it stacked for their fire. Kalizda was preparing snacks and Thomas finished putting away the decorations from Christmas. Helen arrived with her son and some drinks for the bonfire. Illya remembered that the Pithian woman was coming so he made sure to have a few more chairs outside for her and Terrence. So far they were the most reasonable Pithians he'd ever met. Considering the fact that they were Pithian still made it rather strange and uncomfortable, but he would do his best to get through the night without any serious incidents.

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

Illya was getting himself ready for bed. It had been a long day, the kids were all washed up and in their beds and he just finished washing up with Kalizda. Neither of them cared for the smell of smoke to permeate their sheets and then to smell it all night long. It also meant that he wouldn't have to get up as early in the morning to wash. It was probably better since he'd had a late night. Kalizda took a few more moments to be done getting ready for bed like usual and so he waited patiently for her. When she stepped out it was hard to tell what she was thinking. It looked almost like she had something serious to say to him. "Yah ok?"

Calysta was lost in thought as she ruffled her damp hair and thought over the day. It had a long one and given her enough to mull over that her mind felt like it might over flow. Not to mention she was still feeling tired for some reason, with having forgotten to ask Helen about the symptom while she as here. The bonfire seemed to have gone well and despite some awkward moments, which was a comforting thing, but it didn't make her feel any less nervous about approaching Illya about what she knew. His voice nearly made her jump, pulling her out of her thoughts and stopping her hand clutching at her hair. "Hmm?" she blinked, looking up to him. His brow was furrowed in concern, something she couldn't let continue. "Aye...I'm alright." Walking over to the bed, she settled onto the mattress and crossed her legs over each other to gaze at him for a moment. Why was she so worried about saying something? This was an issue she should be able to come to him without worry in dealing with. "I do have something I want to tell you though, something important."

Whatever was going on seemed to be rather serious. Illya didn't know what it could be unless she was threatened or they found out someone was watching. In many ways he was concerned about their time here. It seemed to be too smooth for a Chip to be among Pithians. Still, he waited till she was settled in the bed next to him and then he rolled onto his left side and wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah? What es dis important ting?" Pushing up on one elbow he locked eyes with her and waited for her to start telling him what was wrong.

She felt his comforting, warm arm wrap around her, pulling her close to him as he met her gaze. How was she going to put this? Swallowing, she slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's a story...a true story...and it isn't a good one," she began, "But I want you to listen to the end." Taking a moment, she looked into his eyes, trying to make sure he would listen before she began telling Helen's story without naming her. "A Pithian woman, a doctor and a healer, used to help heal soldiers in the first war, including the Chippeqouti soldiers. She was captured by the Federation while trying to help them and forced to work in their labs..." The next part was hard for her to say and she held his hand even tighter in hers. "They used her knowledge to turn her healing into poisons against the Chippeqouti...into the kind that rotted their bones and worse was contagious. But while she was forced to make poison she also tried day and night to make a cure. Eventually, she met a Chip test subject and he helped her escape the Federation to neutral territory where she nursed him back to some kind of health, but he never fully recovered. They fell in love and this Chip begged her to go help his people on Qouti which she did. When their ship landed, the Chip was shot on sight, even though he wasn't contagious, and she was quarantined for a time until she was released and was allowed to teach one other Chip what she knew. Belen." Calysta bit her lip and closed her eyes for just a moment before deciding how she wanted to finish such a story. "Helen was this Pithian woman and she is still wanted by the Federation for what she knows. I didn't know until today, but I wanted to tell you the risk of her traveling with us. Illya, I think she really wants to help."

"Ok. I can listen." Illya didn't think it would be that hard to listen without interrupting her. He did it all the time, listening without interrupting. This time she must have decided that he would have something to say because she started out with that. Easing his gaze some he took a deep breath and waited for her to get started on the story. At the first words that came out of her mouth he guessed it was Helen. Who else could it be? As the story progressed he slowly shifted to move far enough away that he could lay down on the bed. Flopping his right arm over his face he waited for her to finish before he groaned. "Are yah sure et was only one Chip wit her when dey landed?" He didn't even bother to move his arm. Illya didn't want to look at her right now or anyone else.

He slowly shifted away from her, like a snow ball melting in the summer heat, and flopped his arm over his eyes before she even finished. To her surprise, it wasn't anger or distrustful comments she earned in return. Instead, it was a strange question asking if there were more Chippeqouti aboard the vessel Helen arrived on. Why? Her brow furrowed as she shifted closer to him. Had she made a mistake? Had Illya been the one to give the order or had Helen lied? "She didn't mention another. Only the patient and her eventual agreed who was shot...Why?"

At first there was a pause and Illya let out a puff of breath. "Uuugh." He didn't want to even think about it and then Kalizda asked him why. It took an additional moment for Illya to process what she was asking. She didn't know what he'd done. She was asking why he wanted to know it was only one Chip. "I jes needed tah know." He wasn't sure why he'd asked that question. Perhaps it had been the faint glimmer of hope that it wasn't the event that he remembered. Naturally she wanted to know why he needed to know too and he mumbled a pathetic answer. "Because et was meh. I was on crew dat shot dah Chip."

Calysta thought for a moment, trying to figure out of if Helen really had been accompanied by only one Chip or if Illya needed to know for some other reason. Apparently, her answer was what confirmation he needed and he mumbled out a confession. That dread in her stomach churned slightly but her worse fears about him reacting poorly to Helen's story were assuaged. A heavy silence settled between them for a moment until she inched her fingers over his chest where his heart thumped and the brushing over his chin a little in the hopes he might sit up to look at her. "What happened?" She wasn't angry or ashamed of him, but she wanted to know if he would tell her.

Little fingers brushed over his chest and then he felt Kalizda run her nails gently over his chin. She nearly brushed over the scar under his chin too and then her fingers traced along his jawline. Even if she didn't pull at his arm he knew she wanted him to look at her. Illya felt guilty and even worse now that he knew the reason behind the odd event. Some of the landings blended in a sick and contorted way, but this one was out of place and it always bothered him and now more than ever. The story was difficult at best and he cautiously lifted his arm off his face, but he kept his eyes closed. "I jes...I get news dat Federation ship is landing and I take some men. We all rotate because too much of dis made us sick. Dis time et was meh turn and I go out wit men and we wait outside." Shifting on the bed he pulled at the blankets and balled a portion of the bedding in one of his fists and squeezed it. Finally, he opened his eyes, but he stared at the ceiling. "I jes remember dat he walk out and we jes shoot. Ef we heard dem ask tah speak tah dere family, or agreed before we kill dem et was too hard. So we change and we shoot dem before dey could speak. Maybe et was nut right, but et was too difficult many times when dere family came tah see dem land and dey say goodbye and den kill dem." Illya's eyes started to get misty and his voice strained as he spoke. "So we dun wait for dem tah speak." He couldn't quite say anything more for the moment. Instead he loosed his grip on the blankets and left a little ball of wrinkles in place and then rolled over to face Kalizda. Apprehensively he reached for her as if he wasn't sure if she'd let him touch her. When she didn't recoil he let out a shaky sigh of relief and then pulled her close enough that he could hold her and not say anything more.

She listened to him without a word, but kept her gaze on him. This was something she had known, at least in part. She knew they had shot their own men who had come home after torture trying to reach their families. Illya had been one of those men trying to save what remained of his people from a grisly fate worse than being shot. He hadn't done it out of malice or cruelty, if anything the situation was the opposite, and what happened to Helen was tragic. Maybe this was something the woman understood. Calysta didn't know what Helen would think over Illya's reaction, but she knew that waiver in her Chip's voice was true heart ache. A sorrow added to the collection of them over the years which was accompanied by a sigh of relief as he hesitantly pulled her close. Calysta wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to herself and rubbing his scarred back with a gentle touch. How many scars did he have that weren't on his skin? There wasn't anything she could say or do to make this better for him, though if it were possible she would have done it. Lending them to silence for awhile she let her cheek press into his as she laid a kiss near his ear. "I love you, Illya." He needed to hear that she loved him, and that included the not so pleasant parts of his past too.

The next morning Illya woke up early enough to take a shower. He didn't need one and he was still tired, but he didn't want to leave any idle time. It was better if he stayed busy to work the problems out of his mind. Illya wanted to keep himself busy and it was easy to do. He'd been doing it long enough that he knew he could push the memory and issue from Quoti to the side as long as he had more important and immediate goals to meet.

When he came back that evening Illya stripped off the layers of his work clothes for the outdoors. Cin was waiting for him like usual as were the other animals and he gave them an evening serving of food. Once the animals were taken care of he stepped into the ship and unbuttoned his sweater. When he first came in it usually felt too hot, but in a few hours he would button the sweater back up and be comfortable. There was a great smell coming from the kitchen and Illya stepped in to see Kalizda standing over a pot of soup and there was bread rolls sitting on the counter. "Mmm et smells good."

Every now and then in the cold weather the soup sounded especially good. "Yah have noodles in dah soup?" Noodles were an odd food group, but he liked them and she almost always added them to every soup. When he nodded he grinned. "Oh, dats good. I help yah finish getting dinner ready den." While she was adding a little more seasoning to the soup he decided to give her a quick update on the training. "I tink dey will be done next week."

Despite his help she was still moving slowly and Illya stopped part way through his task to go stand next to her. "Yah ok?" She was so slow in the mornings and now she was looking like she didn't feel well. "Maybe I finish wit dah food and yah rest a little eh?" Whatever was going on had him worried and he was highly considering cutting off the rest of the training. "Ef yah nut well we need tah get back tah Pytra soon. I tink dat training could be done. I give dem instruction tomorrow tah refine dah skills and dey can do et on dere own. We jes get back and yah see Ehaui. Ef yah really sick maybe we need tah stop at base on moon of Demos." Illya wasn't wanting to take any chances and he hadn't let her take a chance to talk yet. It was all racing through his mind so quickly. If she was getting slow in the mornings and now moving slow during the day and looking a little pale, but saying she was dizzy. What in the world could it be? She was maybe having heart problems? He felt that way when he had the heart injury and had to get it repaired and it took several weeks to get past it. "Yah sure yah dun have heart problem?"

 

[aryamajor]

Setting up for the bonfire wasn't difficult other than actually taking down the tree. Calysta helped her father replace each delicate ornament in it's proper place in the storage box then place each box into the closet for next year along with all the light coils and the angel topper. She always liked packing the angel topper last. The idea of angels, beings like humans with pretty feathered wings who could fly on their own was a common thing on Kaereal but they were considered holy so much as mysterious. On Terra, an angel was a warrior for God. Something the Kaerealeans found strange. Humans that could fly were fairy tales to them, a product of someone born on the first full moon of a new century according to legend. Still, the idea of an angel was a fascinating one and she wondered briefly if that was what it was like to fly on Pecky.

Once the tree was bare, Illya dragged the evergreen outside into the packed down snow and began to chop up the truck into logs for the bonfire. Her father kept talking about 'belated yule logs' but she had no idea what that was in reference to and just nodded whenever he mentioned it while she fixed Cypher a snack in the kitchen. He seemed happy about it and that was all that mattered. Later in the afternoon, Illya gathered up the outdoor canvas chairs, and made sure to include two extras for their guests that would be arriving soon while she worked in the kitchen. It didn't take much to load up the left overs in little heated trays then carry them outside to a long table set up beside the makeshift fire pit. The leftover elk was sliced into bite-sized pieces which went along with the vegetables on platter with fresh bread and casserole. Plates and utensils went on the end of the table for everyone. Next came the best part, the one Cypher had been driving her crazy about all day. The smores.

She had brought out her stash of chocolate bars from the freezer, stacking them on the counter neatly before breaking the bars into individual squares along with the sweetened crackers to go with them. For her, the chocolate was the most delicious part of a smore, but for her son, it was the marshmallows. As soon as his bright blue eyes fell on the unopened bag of fluffy bits, he was at her heels tugging on her tunic while she worked. "Mam, dose mallows for meh?"

"Yes, Cypher they're for everyone. We're going to eat some after dinner in a special treat," she replied as she broke apart another piece of chocolate.

"Can I have a mallow?" he grinned, showing off his tiny pearly teeth contrasted against his tan face.

There wasn't any harm in him having one, but he could probably eat them by the barrel if she didn't watch him and it would give him a stomach ache. Not to mention they needed the rest for the smores tonight. "You can have one," Calysta said, "But that's it until after dinner."

Cypher readily agreed with an excited nod as she reached for the bag and pinched the two sides to tear it open. As soon as he had the fat and fluffy marshmallow clutched his tan hand, he stuffed the whole in his mouth in one go, making his chubby cheeks puff out. "Cypher..." Calysta sighed, "Just...make sure you chew that before you swallow." When she finished separating the chocolate and had the gram crackers ready on a neat tray alongside some of the marshmallows, she took the tray outside along with the rest of the food.

Cypher watched his mother's retreating back as she left the kitchen, then turned his attention to the half-full bag of his second favorite treat sitting on the countertop. It was sitting so close! Why couldn't have just one more? He had made the wonderful discovery that he was tall enough to reach a few things now if he stood on his toes. It was a handy trick he had used to reach the candies he liked and to go exploring in his mother's bathroom when she was gone. She had some really bad crayons hidden in there. None of them were in a color he liked and all they did was smudge everywhere, ruining the handprints he'd made on the wall behind his door.

The marshmallows were far too tempting a treat to let sit unguarded. Checking the door one last time, Cypher rose up on his chubby tip-toes, his little fingers edging over the counter in pursuit of the plastic bag, brushing it once before he snagged the corner. That sweet little bag slid down from the countertop just like he wanted...until the realized he had picked it up from the wrong end and dumped the entire contents over the floor. Marshmallows rolled in all directions while he was doused in white powder left in the bottom of the bag. His treats! Dodging to pick them all up, he grabbed the nearest one from the floor and stuffed it onto his mouth before reaching for the next one. There was no way he could pick them all up at once but he was going to try.

"Cypher Markus!"

That tone told him he was in trouble already and he froze in place, a marshmallow squeezed between each fist. Slowly, he turned to find his Mam standing in the doorway with the look. The look that old him he was absolutely and unequivocally doing something bad. It bared down on him with grey eyes and he offered up one of the mangled white pieces to her. "I dropped dem."

She worked her jaw and shook her head. "What did I tell you, Cypher?"

"One," he pouted, his head drooping down.

"And you went to get more when you weren't supposed to, didn't you?" she added.

"Uhuh."

The reply came out a downcast sigh, his eyes staying firmly trained on the floor out of shame. "I jes want one more and I drop dem."

Calysta moved to stand in front of her powder covered son and knelt down next to him. "You disobeyed me, and you didn't ask. That is not a good thing you did. It was dishonest. A sneaky lie. And lies can hurt people. You're going to clean the mess up, and then you're going to go change clothes, starting right now."

Cypher's little shoulders drooped slightly as he met his mother's gaze. He didn't want to lie and hurt his Mam again, but cleaning up the mess seemed to make it better. "Okay. I clean et up." With that he bent down and began plucking the rest of the marshmallows from the floor, sneaking a few into his mouth while Mam pulled the broom from the cupboard.

The bonfire itself seemed to go well. Helen and Terrence came and were quiet, courteous guests. Calysta couldn't help but feel slightly on edge whenever she saw Illya nd Helen pass a word between them. Would Illya know that he might be the cause of her former agreed's death? Would she be angry at him? Whatever theories were going on in her head seemed to be just that, as nobody had a word against the other. Terrence peppered her with a few questions about the Alliance, asking mostly about standard citizenship, which she answered in between Cypher tugging on her sleeve for more of the remaining marshmallows to be loaded onto his smore. "Here, one more," she said, turning to him and adding another to his roasting stick. He gave her a brief thank you before scuttling back over to the fire. "As an Alliance citizen, there are certain rights you and the Chips have inherently. There will be identification cards made for everyone, mostly for clearance through the Tannas gas scanners. I think you and Helen will like Pyrta or any of the other continents should you choose to stay on Kaereal." They weren't limited to Pyrta, though that would be the safest place for someone like Helen who was wanted within the Federation. "You would be welcome on any Alliance planet."


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

The next few days passed after the bon-fire and the same tiredness kept creeping in on her. Waking up was a challenge and when she did manage to wake up, there was a sluggishness that lingered. It was all she could do to focus on the reports trickling in from Kirit without dozing off, then her lesson with Helen in the afternoon while also taking care of Lohgan and Cypher on top of that. Luckly, Rose was pretty self-sufficient at this point, keeping to herself and occasionally helping wrangle her siblings when they began to fuss at each other.

Lohgan was beginning to pull up on her tiny toes, using any means to rise onto her feet in an attempt to walk. Which included using her brother, if he was standing still enough nearby. She would have thought the world ended when Lohgan attempted to stand, using Cypher's shirt tail and the bow yelled, pushing her back down. "No touching!" he stamped at her, causing rivers of tears. That outburst earned him time in the corner where he plopped down and crossed his arms in defiance.

By the time Illya came home from training, she was standing at the stove with Lohgan scooting along in her beloved rocket while Cypher pouted, his nose stuck in the corner. Soup had been the only thing she had the energy to make between the bouts of sleepiness and even a few waves of dizziness. All it had taken were cans of chicken stock, her prefrozen lemon juice, noodles, and sweet herbs like basil, rosemary, and tyme from her little herb garden added to chicken to make a nice pot of soup. It smelled comforting to her and would be perfectly warm for Illya who seemed to approve when he swept into the kitchen.

Calysta gave the steaming pot a stir and nodded to him with a small smile. "All we need to do is get the kids in here and set up the bowls. Then we should be good to go." His eyes seemed to linger over her as he talked about the Pithian's and how the training was going. "That's good...only a few more weeks.." Suddenly, he was asking her if she was okay. Did she need a doctor? Blinking a few times, Calysta met his gaze and shook her head, her fingers pausing the spoon dipped into the rich soup. "Oh, I think I'm alright. Just a little tired and dizzy from time to time. Nothing to be worried about, yeah?" The tiredness wasn't as concerning as the dizziness but that could be caused by any number of reasons, including stress.

Illya was still giving her that worried look and she couldn't have him stressing out with his seizures. Drawing herself into a perkier stance, she smiled before planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'm fine, yeah?"

*********

Calysta's eyes flew open meeting the darkness of their bedroom. She had been laying on her side with Illya spooned at her back, a big hand draped lazily over her hips, trapping her in the steaming hot blanket. A clammy sweat beaded on her forehead as she swallowed against the rising nausea. That was the worst thing she could have done. The spittle charged right back up her throat along with a healthy dose of bile. Catching the vomit in her mouth, Calysta scrambled desperately out of bed tossing back the covers and throwing Illya's arm off before dashing to the bathroom. Stumbling in front of the toilet, she plopped to her knees and half through her head into the bowl, retching up anything that would come.

It was still early in the morning and Illya was sleeping beside Kalizda when he felt her pulling away. She was pulling with a sense of urgency and he lifted his arm slightly only feel the rush of cold air under the blanket. Did she wait that long to use the bathroom? Illya rolled onto his back and he sat up in the bed. His hair rumpled and stuck out in random directions. His eyes were still half closed, but he got up anyway. A little sip of water sounded good. Just as he shuffled toward their bedroom door he heard what sounded like Kalizda puking. Changing directions he moved toward the bathroom instead. Pushing the door open he saw her hovering over the toilet and he walked over to her before kneeling at her side. With one hand he brushed at her hair and pulled it back away from her face. "Hey, yah need anyting? Maybe I get yah little cup of water tah rinse yah mout?"

She was hardly aware of Illya coming to her side and brushing the hair from her face, everything felt miserable as her stomach twisted in knots. Drinking water didn't sound good, but getting the vile taste from her mouth did. Managing a small nod, she started to reply when another, more dry gag eeked out of her. Her belly heaved as she clutched both sides of the toilet, palms sliding from their sickened sweat. When the retch ran it's course, producing only a little vomit, she flopped back against the shower door gasping and with tears in her eyes from the effort. Was it something she ate? Nobody else has gotten sick but she knew of.

At first Illya wasn't sure if shew as going to respond, but after a few moments she gave an almost non-existent nod. "Ok." Illya stopped outside the bathroom door and put on the robe before he wandered out to the kitchen to get some water for her. While he was there he saw the clock and it said it was 2:38 in the morning. It was going to be a very long night if she felt sick from now till dawn. Probably just as long for her. Depending on how she felt he was considering giving some drills to the men through a message and staying at home with Kalizda. Filling her glass only half way he took a quick sip and then walked with it back to their room. After he was inside, Illya took the cup to Kalizda. She was sitting on the bathroom floor with tears in her eyes and that was even more worrisome. "Kalizda, do yah need meh tah get doctor now?"

Held out a shaking hand to take the cup from him, grateful that he had gone to get it for her. He was giving her a pinched look of concern and she took a sip of the water, swishing it around, and spitting into the toilet. Not one of her more lady like moved but she felt too nauseous to care too much about looks. "I'm okay," she replied, though it came out a croak, "Something I ate I think...you feel okay?" She needed to know if she needed to start scooting over to offer her Chip some toilet real estate since they had eaten the same things.

Kalizda was blaming the food and Illya thought for a moment. "No, I dun feel sick. I tink maybe yah give et a day, but ef yah dun feel better by tomorrow den I tink we need doctor." It was rare that she got sick and he felt a little more jumpy with them being around so many Pithians. She would only have access to Pithian healthcare, but he didn't want her to go untreated.

There wouldnt be any arguing with him on that point. Not that she had the energy to anyways. Nodding, she took a more earnest sip of the water, this swallowing the liquid and then took a steadying breath. "Aye, I'm just a little tired too." That sip of water stayed down, so she ventured another until she felt like she could stand up. "I hope its not contagious," she said to him, "I dont want you sick either."

"I dun tink I'll get sick. Yah remember dat only corn makes me do dat." When it looked like Kalizda was going to stand Illya offered a hand and then carefully walked with her back to the bed. "Yah jes sleep a little late in morning eh."

Calysta took his hand and let herself be ushered to the bed. The sweat had faded some but rather than shimmying under the covers with him when he climb in, she stayed on top and laid a hand over his chest to keep him close. She closed her eyes, puffing out a breath and tried to think of anything else that would have made her sick. Maybe she just got too warm under the blanket. Illya was like a space heater in and of himself. Sleep began to creep in slowly as her tiny fingers stroked absently at his chest...until the sickness set in all over again. Bolting up, she made a mad run for the bathroom to toss up the water.

Finally, they were on their way back to bed. Illya wanted to get a little sleep before he had to get out and drill with the men. It was possible that she did get a little sick from something she ate. He had discovered that other races would sometimes get ill from things he didn't. Illya took his robe off and settled back into the bed. She wasn't feeling well and he figured that was the reason she wanted to lay on top the covers for now. Her hand was stroking his chest and Illya started to drift off to sleep. He was getting ready to cook some dinner in his dream and then suddenly the bed jolted again and he sat up. Kalizda was gone and the light was on in the bathroom again. Getting up he shuffled into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. "Why dun I get bucket for yah and den yah can rest in dah bed between times of sick."

Calysta spat into the toilet then slowly sat up, wiping at her mouth. "I wont keep you awake?" She asked, reaching for the water cup. If he had to go to training tomorrow she didn't want to be the cause of him being tired. More than anything, she wanted to curl up next to him and sleep though. Nodding slowly she washed her mouth out and reached for a clean wash rag to put some cool water on. "May want to put one of the little garbage bags in the pail, yeah?" At least that would help with cleanup.


Like usual she was concerned about his ability to sleep and Illya shrugged. "Eh, I sleep same ef yah in dah bed, or ef yah in dah batroom." He didn't need to tell her that he wouldn't sleep well either way, but that was about the way of it. While she got the cup and started to head for the bed Illya collected the bucket and got a little bag to go in it. Once he was back to the bed again he set the bucket on her side of the bed and he got back into his side of the bed and then rested a hand on her shoulder. It was probably a safer option than holding her around the waist.

She laid down next to Illya and as much as she wanted to cuddled up to him to sleep off the sickness, he was far too hot. The hand on her shoulder was all she could stand in the way of heat but she let it stay there, occasionally giving it a gentle touch. Then, like a fresh wave she of nausea she should lean over the side of the bed and aim for the bucket beside the bed. Sometimes her stomach managed to eek out something, a bit of bile or water, and other times it was the much worse dry gags. It was exhaustive to vomit so much and each time she wondered if that was the last time before she was allowed to sleep. 6am rolled around and she tried for another sip of water before sighing. "The kids will be up soon."

It didn't feel like he got to sleep for very long. Illya found himself being woke up frequently. He wasn't sure if it was every hour or more. It felt like a lot when he was tired. By the time the morning rolled around he still wasn't sleeping any better and she started to talk about the kids getting up. Illya barely peeled an eye open and then he posed his question, "Yah feeling better?" If she wasn't he had a few plans for the day.

When Illya rolled over and asked if she was feeling better. It wasn't so much that she felt better as it was she hadn't thrown up in an hour, which was a miracle in itself. Perhaps whatever it was had run it's course. "I haven't thrown up in a bit," she replied, "Just tired. I might tried to sleep for just a little while before the kids are up and going." She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. In truth, it wasn't often she was sick, but whatever this was had left her thoroughly exhausted in the worst way possible. "Maybe I'll call up Helen and see if she knows an herb mix to settle my stomach."

She'd made it a whole hour and Illya raised his eyebrows slightly. He needed to initiate the backup plan. "Dat's good idea. Yah call Helen, I send drills to dah men and I take care of dah kids today. Yah need rest."

Calysta didn't argue with him this time and curled up into the blanket with her pad to message Helen, finally having gotten a chill brought on by the cold sweats. Illya could handle the kids for just one day, and she could catch up on a little rest. It didn't take long for her to message to get through and for her to receive an answer. There was a tea in her cabinet that already had all of the herbs that Helen recommended to take for her upset stomach.

"There's a tea in a green box in our kitchen, it has everything Helen says might help already in it," Calysta told Illya, "If you make it, I'll try to keep it down."

It wasn't a few minutes after telling him about the tea that he was back and holding out a steaming cup for her. She sat up slowly, ignoring the wave of dizziness and took the cupping, giving the liquid a small sniff. It smell bitter but she could tell he had added some honey in the hopes of makinf it palatable. "Thanks, love," she mumbled before daring a taste.

The tea was nasty as it smelled but after a few sips, the liquid seemed to stay down and she sighed in relief. Maybe now she could sleep. Making herself finish down the minty, and peppery tea, Calysta sank back into the bed, more than happy to go to sleep.

Off and on through the day, Illya checked on her and she would sit up some when he brought small cups of tea or soup, which was easy on her stomach. She only ate a few bites of it before giving in to only tea again. Aymos stayed at the foot of her bed, only stirring when she did or for bathroom breaks. At one point while she was dozing, Cypher barged in with a wide grin and his spider clutched in his hands only to be swept up by his father in a fit of giggles. "Dah! Yah too fast!" His feet kicked wildly in excitement, trapped under Illya's elbow.

That night, Illya came to bed looking tired and she scooted over to give him room. Some rest had helped improve her stomach but she still felt slightly under the weather. "Thank you for looking after me today," she said, rubbing at his back, "I do feel a little better."

*******

The next morning Calysta did feel better, hungry even, as she showered to wash off the disgusting left over feeling of sickness and started out her day with the kids. Logan squeaked happily as she scuttled down the hall in her rocket and Cypher nearly barreled her over when he saw her in the kitchen. "Man! Mam! You're not sick!"

She wobbled from the force of her son tackling her knees and smiled, ruffling his wild hair which it obviously not been combed the day before. "I feel better, little man. What did I miss?"


He went on tell her all about his day, including playing with his Monster puppy. "Monster doesnt like Monster," Cypher said, looking very serious, "My dog try tah eat him!"

She winced while she worked on her son's bowl of eggs for breakfast. "Oh, yes. He will play too rough with Monster..."

After breakfast, she kissed Illya goodbye as he headed out to train with the men. She could tell he was still a bit worried, but there wasn't any point in making him more concerned then he had to be. "I'm feeling better. Much better," she assured him, "Maybe tonight I can show you." That got him to grin and she kissed him one last time before he left out of the door.

The day went on per usual, and it came time for her to go to her herb lesson with Helen. She only had a few dizzy moments through the morning, and she felt confident enough to make it to a woman's house without issue. Donning her thick coat, Calysta set out into the path through the snow, sliding down the hills to the red hut.

Helen was waiting for her and Calysta smiled as she entered the house, knocking the snow from her boots. "Good morning. Sorry I'm a little late. Still movie a little slow but the tea worked well. Thank you." Her tardiness did not seem to be a big deal and they began their lesson. This time it was all about one specific plant that would help with inflammation. Calysta took careful notes and the Pithian woman made her learn to prune the plant by pinching off the buds which were useless.

At the end of her visit, Calysta looked to Helen and nodded. "I spoke with Illya and everything seems to be in order." Sure, he hadn't given her Express consent, but he was going to let her keep her word. "We'll leave in about two weeks and I can help you pack everything you need."

She wasn't sure how Helen would take that news, but at least the issue was addressed for now. There was only one more stop she needed to make on her way back to the ship and that was down the Hills to the General store for some more honey. Everyone used it and she had run their supply low drinking the tea for her stomach.

Venturing out into the snow once more, Calysta headed toward town at a slow pace. Another one of those tired spells was coming over her and she sighed in slight frustration. By the time she reached the last Hill she felt dizzy and had to stop entirely. The world spun between shallow breath as she sank to her knees.

After what seemed like ages, she managed to get the sensations under control. What was this? The only time she ever felt like this at all was when she was pregnant. No that couldn't be it. There was no way that was possible, but it could be something else. We're hormone issues common in women who bore green eyed chips?

There was one way to settle this and that was to take a test. Hauling herself to her feet, Calysta made her way to the General store and bought was she needed. A jar of honey and a pregnancy test.

Not wanting to bring the pregnancy test home, she went into the bathroom of the General Store and took the test there. Not 5 minutes after she went in, did she come rolling out, snatching up another test. That first one had to be defective and she would get two more just to prove it.

Fifteen minutes later, Calysta stood outside the General store door running a hand through her hair. There were three pregnancy tests in her bag, all showing positive. She was pregnant.

***********

She made the long walk home, occasionally breaking out into laughter and other times tears of shear disbelief. Illya was already home, having just arrived by the time she shuffled up the ramp. He was standing in the door way unbuttoning his coat to reveal that handsome green sweater underneath and she grinned, entirely lost on what else to say. There was a reason he looked so good in green.

"Illya, we need to talk...in private," she said before he could even say any sort of greeting. Taking up his hand, she lead him to their bedroom and closed the door behind them. Calysta met his eyes with hers and tried to think how to to say it before abandoning any sort of strategy and coming out right with it. "I'm pregnant."

 

[Silence]

The days were getting a little more intensive with training the little woman about the herbs. Helen watched her tend to a few of the plants and she waited to see if Kalizda would remember that the one was never to be watered on the soil. It had to be watered from below, on the plate that it sat on. "Very good." Helen let Kalizda continue on to the other less sensitive plants and then she started to pluck a few sprigs from one of her plants and put it in a fresh little pot for Kalizda. She was going to make sure the little woman could start her own garden of herbs. It was difficult to get good stock and it was important to get her started with a few sprigs that would come from a good healthy plant. In the long run Helen suspected that the little woman would need them to make the medicine for her husband.

Since the night of the bonfire she had not heard any news good, or bad. Perhaps the situation had stayed the same. So far as she could tell Kalizda was still going to let her go with them on the ship. There was one thing that she was starting to notice that was different. Kalizda was coming a little later in the mornings and she was moving slower. At times she noticed the woman would stop and stand carefully as if she were afraid that she would fall over. Perhaps she was suffering from dizziness? It didn't make sense and she shouldn't still be having stomach problems.

A few days ago she'd asked about herbs to settle a stomach and Helen had told her. Things were just not quite adding up. However, she was going to let it all be until the woman told her otherwise. There was no reason to believe that there was anything terribly wrong. Typically a person showed symptoms when there was something wrong in their body. Symptoms that would show in their skin, eyes, or carriage of themselves. Overall, she could tell that Kalizda moved slower, but there didn't seem to be anything that would indicate trouble. At least not yet. Perhaps in time more symptoms would begin to show, or the little woman would tell her. When Kalizda was preparing to leave Helen simply nodded to her and kept on preparing the little set of plants she was going to give to Kalizda as a gift when they left. They didn't have much time to prepare and she was doing all that she could to make sure Kalizda got duplicates of all the tools and especially everything she would need to keep on making the seizure medicine. Her Chip seemed to have a serious case of epilepsy that had potential to be dangerous to his health.

Terrence arrived a few minutes after Kalizda. It was all part of the normal routine these days. "How was your day?" Helen inquired after he'd finished putting away his boots and hanging up the jacket.

"Oh, we did a little more on stealth operations. Hid in the snow, buried ourselves. Went hunting other teams of men. Sounds like we'll be wrapping up training in a few weeks." Somehow he got the impression that the man training them didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be. Whatever brought him here when he didn't like it was something of a curiosity. Especially since he wasn't under anyone's orders, but his own. He must have had a strong desire to see the Federation finished, or there was another reason that he had come this far.

Nodding a little the woman took a deep breath. She was somewhat nervous that Terrence could find himself in the current war. He was young an inexperienced. Terrence was the kind of man that she was sure would still find himself excited with the idea that he could make a difference, that he could help change the tide. There was rarely a man capable of that. Those that were, were men to be feared. "Just be careful." In a way that was the reason she was going to take him to the Alliance territory. At least there he could see the first hand effect of the war and he would still be under her eye. Helen had no intention of leaving her son where she knew the Federation would be striking in a matter of a few short years. If the Alliance kept expanding then the Federation would keep on trying to push for the fringe. The fringe is where many of the last free people lived, or those that tried to stay free of both the Alliance and Federation.

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

Illya was just finishing taking his coat off and then Kalizda came through the door. She was usually pale, but she looked a little more white than usual. He wasn't sure why she would be so late getting home unless she'd been sick and that was concerning in itself. What if she collapsed somewhere outside in the snow? It could be sometime before anyone would go by that way. Maybe that is what happened. Terrence could have found her and helped her get up. The house where Helen lived was closer than the ship and Illya had taken his time getting home because he was a little sore. Regardless of all those nagging fears he simply hung his coat on a hook and let Kalizda slip her fingers in his and lead him toward their room. Whatever happened today was serious if she wanted to talk to him alone without even saying hi.

When the two of them reached the room Kalizda shut the door and he sat on the bed. She was just staring at him for what felt like a ridiculously long time. It was in reality a short span, but he didn't know what could have gone so horribly wrong for her to be acting like this. Finally she made a random blurt and he stared at her for a long moment before he started laughing. "Eh...no. Yah plan dis all day tah get reaction out of meh?"

Calysta's mouth fell open when he started to laugh at what she said. Did he really think she would joke about something like that?! With widening eyes, she shook her head. "No, really! I am pregnant," she insisted, "I dont know how but Im definitely pregnant." To Accent her point, she dumped the contents of her bag onto the bed, causing the jar of honey to flop on to the pillows along with three pregnancy tests. She scooped up all three and held them up to him with shaking hands. "Three pink plus signs. I checked three times."

She was rather insistent and Illya found himself littered with bits of paper from her bag and other little things that he wasn't sure what they were. In the middle of him wondering why she had so much honey her bag she thrust 3 sticks in his face and he carefully plucked them from her hand one by one. The pregnancy test was something he knew about and Illya looked the first one over and then the second and by the third he was grinning from ear to ear. "Dis es very good news. I cut dah training and we leave en 10 days. Dey only lose tree days training and I work longer in morning and night tah make up for et. We need tah get yah back home for Ehaui and den I won't be busy and I can take care of yah." Gathering the items from her bag into his hands he dropped them back inside. They came out in no specific order and so it wasn't like it mattered that they went back in a specific order.

Calysta blinked at him as he sifled through the pregnancy tests and then plopped them back into the bag, before going off into talking about training. Her mind wasn't anywhere near training, or the next two weeks, or even the next two seconds. She knew he wanted to take care of her, but she also couldn't quite get over the fact that she was pregnant. How was this even possible? Not that a baby was a bad thing, it was a wonderful thing. In fact it was so wonderful that she still couldn't believe it comma after coming to terms with the fact that she would never have another child again. Now suddenly she was pregnant! Tears welled in her eyes and at the same time an unsteady laugh escaped her. "We're going to have another baby..." she managed to say.

There were a lot of things to do before they could leave and they really needed to leave so Kalizda could get help. In the meantime Kalizda was still mentioning the baby and Illya finally came to realize what was going on beyond the tasks. "Yeah we have anoter baby. When yah tink I can feel baby in yah stomach?" Standing up he set his hands on her hips and then moved them up to her armpits and down again. "Hmmmm. How big yah tink yah gonna get?" A playful smirk came to his face, "Maybe dis big?" Moving his hands out from her body a little his grin only got bigger. "Maybe bigger?" Moving his hands out again further to the side he chuckled. "Dah more dah merrier."

He seemed entirely prepared for this. Of course he was. Illya loved children and the more the merrier was what he wanted. His hands traced over her sides as he asked how big she thought she was going to get, teasing her slightly with that Telltale grin growing on his face. " You wont be able to feel her for awhile," Calysta said, wiping at her eyes, "And if I get as big as I did with Lohgan. I wont be able to see my toes." Calysta gasped out another laugh and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll be a round, roly poly. I just can't believe it. They told me I couldnt have any more children and now we're going to have another baby." Her arms gave his thick waist a squeeze and she smiled up at him. "We'll have to get to the Ehaui when we leave here so they can make sure she's healthy."

Kalizda kept saying it was a her and Illya couldn't help wanting to be a little contrary. "We get dah Ehaui and dey will make sure he's healty." Since she was close Illya moved his hands along her back until he had to bend over a little. "Yah hold onto meh neck." At first he ran his hands down her rump and then he settled one hand on the back of each of her legs and he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around him and then she was level with him. Illya kissed her on the lips and winked. "Well, I tink a little determination does a lot even ef yah told yah can't do et."

Illya bent down and slid his hands behind her to the back of her legs, hoisting her up to himself. Out of instinct her legs wrapped around his waist to support her weight and her arms rested over his shoulders. Now, she was as tall as he was and she was going to take full advantage over it, especially after that kiss on the lips. "Oh? Determination was it?" She grinned at him, "I think it your persistence and hard work have paid off." It dawned on her that this will be the first child they made together where he was aware what was happening, and he remembered her. Really remembered her. She leaned in, stealing another kiss from him and then another, her lips making a trail down his jawline to his neck. "I love you..so...much..." she whispered. She said that more often now then she used to. Mostly it was for his benefit, but it was for her own as well. She'd gone through enough time where the phrase sounded strange on her tongue and now she could say it every day so he would know.

"Hmmm es dat so? All meh hard work." A smirk came to his face and he walked with her closer to their bed and then he paused. It was a little harder to concentrate when she was kissing him and momentarily he lost track of where this was all going again. Her little whisper in his ear brought an even bigger grin out. Illya made a playful growl and he started to lean forward with Kalizda. At first she looked a little surprised and then he brought one knee up to ease them onto the bed without crashing onto it. Slowly he shifted forward and moved one hand to her lower back to support her while her legs gripped him and then he put the other hand out on the bed. Within a few seconds he hand her laying on the bed and he was hovering over her. "Yah know I love yah too. Meh little Kalizda woman es more important den anyting I could ever have." With a mischievous expression he added a little quip he was sure would get her. "Had I known what she was like I would have made her price higher." The look on her face said it all and his voice cracked with the usual raspy sort of chuckle. "I tink I get better deal dis way. She likes meh better. Actually, she said she loves meh."

It wasn't really about having sex at this point. Illya knew she didn't feel well and the last two times she'd had serious problems. They didn't get much time for fun after her treatment and it was going to be a long while, but he did like playing around. There was nothing wrong with having a little bit of flirting even if it couldn't go beyond that. Kissing her on the lips was fun and then he moved to her neck before sneaking around to her earlobe. He had been listening to quite a bit of the Terran language between Priscilla and Thomas and he was sure he knew the word for beautiful in Terran. This was a good time to impress her. "Yah beautiful." First he said it in Kaerlean then he said in Quoti, "You're beautiful." Finally, he got to Terran and he said it again, "Yah bountiful." He was sure he had it right, but the look on her face said otherwise.

As far as Illya could tell his blunder must have been a good one. Kalizda was laughing and he waited for some sort of explanation. Since he was feeling impatient he didn't wait too long before he decided to kiss her, laughing or not. "Yah jes like tah laugh at meh. Dats alright. I tink maybe next time I tell yah what I tink in oter language." Moving his hands along her legs Illya winked at her. "Yah know ets too early for dis. Dah kids need tah have dinner soon." Illya still didn't move and he kissed her a few more times. It was hard not be excited when they were having another baby. After he had stolen the last kiss he moved to stand up and then helped her sit up on the bed. "How about yah rest and I take care of cooking tahnight and clean. I tink yah need rest." She needed a lot of rest even if she wouldn't admit it. Illya knew that she was exhausted and with the baby on the way he wanted her to be healthy. They had a bit of risk with the baby and he figured that as far as they were from the Ehaui that they shouldn't take any risk that they didn't have to.

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

The news of the baby put a new vigor and urgency into Illya. He was up earlier in the morning and he was making sure all his trainees were too. Many of them wandered out of their huts with rings under their eyes, and their pale skin glowing in the moonlight. The sun had yet to come up and Illya was easily visible with his dark skin and wild curls that stuck out from under his hat.

"Team 1, yah get tah dah east side of dah mountain and team 2, yah go west. Find yah places and I expect dah team wit meh tah find and hunt bot of yah. Yah job es to evade and eliminate meh team." Illya had only chosen the best and most capable men for his team. The men on his team were quite proud of themselves, but they were about to find out how terrifying their position was going to be. It would give them a better taste for what they would have to be if they were going to be leaders. On the other side it would help the other men learn skills necessary to operate as soldiers even when they didn't have leaders. They would learn to fight as warriors. It was not good enough to be a soldier. The Pithians would have to learn that each man was going to look after himself, those around him and still keep his mind on the goal. The goal was always to obtain the target.

Illya glanced over the groups of men and he nodded. "Remember dis es drills dat yah run and yah always rotate team positions. Team members rotate too. Yah learn to work wit all men dat fight. Train yah women tah fight and yah children. Ef dah Federation comes dey will nut consider women and children as anyting less den enemies." Some of the men seemed to look at him as if they almost thought the day wouldn't come. A few looked eager and then there were others that looked worried. There was always a mix of feelings with this sort of topic. "Dere es oter news too. I leave yah in 10 days nut 14." They did not need an explanation and he was not required to give one. "Now, yah go and we start drill."

Those that stayed with Illya skied slowly in wide circles while they waited for him to give word that they were moving out. After nearly 10 minutes Illya smirked. "We make surprise attack now. I tink half yah go dat way and I lead oter half dis way." If they thought they were going to get time to prepare then they were wrong. If the Pithians were truly going to be ready for the Federation then they were going to have to know how to make a decisive and fatal blow to the enemy even when they were caught off guard. The point was to develop a military force that did not require time to prepare. They had to make fast strikes and run. Pithians were not good for much else.

Overall, Illya had improved on his skiing ability, but he still had a few moments where he'd almost done the splits. The sides of the hills were getting slick after they'd gone over them during training over and over. Sliding unexpectedly toward one of the ledges, Illya turned to the side to try and stop. He barely stopped when one of his skis finally caught on a small bit of shrub underneath the snow, but it managed to twist his right knee. At first it was just a twinge and he had a little trouble skiing back toward his target. Since he was toward the back of the group Illya took up the idea of flanking their opponents. The closer they got to the others the more he could hear the other men talking to each other about what they were going to do to set up. Illya slipped his skis off and laid down in the snow with his gun. It was only a drill gun loaded with colored pellets.

The first guy looked all around after he felt the distinct thud of something hitting his jacket. As soon as he saw the color bleed into the white covering over his coat he rolled his eyes and sat down. He was out of the game. A sudden panic hit the others and they started to scramble, but with no specific strategy. Instead they scattered and split up in ways that made them easy to hunt. Even on foot Illya could get a good shot at most of them as they made a mad attempt to flee. It was only a few minutes until they were all left sitting and then Illya had all the men reconvene and he had his team become the hunted next.

For the next several days he hunted and worked evasion with the Pithians. Each day his knee seemed to get a little more tender until he got to the last two days. For the last two days he stood on his skis at the top of a taller hill and watched the drills with a set of binoculars. By the end of the last day of drills Illya was barely moving his leg with the anchors for the prosthetic. It was sore and he leaned a bit more heavily on the ski sticks than he should have. The spindly little stick bowed out under his weight while he slowly made his way back to the ship. He didn't even get to it when he saw that Helen and Terrence were already loading piles and boxes of plants into the ship. They were leaving tomorrow and it seemed that the woman was coming with them.

Illya didn't remember telling Kalizda that he would let them travel with them. Going back in a different ship was fine, but with them was another. It looked like it was too late and so he simply took his skis off and limped up the ramp of the ship. He had the cane sitting near the entrance because he'd been using it the last day or so. Primarily he was using it to be try and ease up some of the weight on the leg and let it rest more. There was still a lot to do, even more now that Helen and Terrence were loading the ship with their stuff. About time he had stripped down to his sweater and he started to slowly limp his way toward the main part of the ship Terrence walked over to him and handed him a little diagram. "We got the boxes unloaded into the bay, but figured you'd rather put them where you want them. Helen has a drawing of where they need to go and a few requirements for what they'll need while we travel."

Ignoring the glance from the sheet with the diagram and then to his leg Illya grumbled and started to limp toward the little habitats he had set up for his animals. He didn't want to move the chickens because they were more sensitive to change than the others. That left him with moving Keysha's habitat. The darn cat was going to have to move inside with them and he knew Keysha would never tolerate being in the bay with the other animals again. She'd always want to be in the rest of the ship with them and the dogs after that. Cin was going to have to move closer to the bay door and the bear wouldn't mind the chill. He could tolerate it better than any of the other animals. Quroz would move, but only a little. They were practically converting half the animal's living space into greenhouse. Illya wouldn't have minded except that now he was probably going to be tasked with watering the plants. He didn't like farming stuff very much and he certainly didn't favor having the greenhouse in the ship, but there wasn't anywhere else to put it.

Helen set another large box on the ramp and then started back toward her house with the empty sled. The next load would be her things and Terrence's. They didn't have much that belonged to them. Most of the things from the house were her tools and medicine making plants. There wasn't much reason to have anything else. While Helen was gone Illya busily started to stack the plants in the grid pattern that Helen had drawn for him. Illya started to move one box and then he heard Kalizda pipe in. Apparently this plant needed to be on top because it didn't need as much water. Plants further down the tier got more water because they needed it and the run off from the other plants was good for them.

Letting out a sigh Illya nodded and moved the plant to the side. He was going to wait to put it up higher until he was done with the others. Kalizda wasn't supposed to be lifting much, so he handed her the diagram. "Yah tell meh where tings go." Terrence and Helen were both gone and Thomas was watching the kids with Priscilla and so there wasn't anyone to do the walking back and forth with the plants except Illya. He could have almost sworn that he could hear his leg creaking, but it wasn't quite reality. Despite that the anchors in his bone were hurting and his knee was a little swollen still. Despite the fact that the bay was cool it didn't take too long of working for Illya to start sweating. Unbuttoning the front of his sweater he walked over to grab the next plant. He had almost stacked them all up when he heard Terrence and Helen arrive with their last load of things. There were of course a few more plants, but they were thankfully all for the top stack of the tier.

It was only about another hour before they were ready to take off. Illya had the plants secured and Terrence helped put the green house walls around them. However, they weren't going to be able to take off till after dinner. The kids were hungry and Thomas had made a meal for everyone. Illya grabbed his cane on the way out of the hold and made sure one last time that everything was secure before he slowly made his way into the ship.

Cypher came running up to Illya with a big grin on his face. "Monster found more little monsters for meh. I find sex of dem." Excitedly the boy held a mini tarantula. Illya had no idea how that happened, but he was going to be squishing all the baby spiders he found. One of the spiders was more than enough. Nodding carefully he smiled at his son. "Hmm. Yah better be careful den. I tink Monster es sneaky so are et's babies. Dey might get away from yah." It was the best way he could think to tell his son that all the baby spiders were going to be killed. "Go put monster back in ets little house eh?"

Happily his son dashed off and Illya could see a little hair spider hanging on the back of Cypher's shirt. Apparently his son had happened to discover the baby spiders and he decided to play with them. Who knew how many of them there would be. In the middle of his thoughts he could hear Rose complaining about having to move a few of her things. The girl had gotten spoiled and she'd never had to share her room, but she was going to have to learn to make do when there were others in need. Casting her a look he shook his head. She knew better than to complain about something like this. Cypher was more than pleased to be sharing his room with Terrence and he proudly showed his spiders to Terrence. Hopefully Terrence didn't mind. Illya was sure the man would wake with spiders crawling all over in his bed at least once if not more before the end of the trip. The fact that Monster somehow had babies made Illya think that Terrence may not be the only one waking with spiders in his bed.

"Ok, we eat soon." It smelled like Thomas had made eggs and pancakes for dinner with a side of sausage. There wasn't any need make the call for food twice. Lohgan came rolling in on her little ship and she ran right into her father's prosthetic leg. With a big grin she held her little chubby arms up and squeaked, "Up Dah, up!" Illya dropped ito a squat and wrapped one arm around his daughter and then stood again.

A big grin spread over the girl's face and she started to point to the food and smack her lips. She wanted a few bites and she knew her dad would give her some. He would almost always give her food if she smacked her lips and pointed. Illya looked at where her little fingers were pointing and he grinned. "Oooh dah bacon." Of course that was what the girl wanted. He'd never refuse her either. Sneaking a strip of bacon Illya broke a chunk of it off for Cypher, who was standing nearby. The boy knew exactly who would be sneaking food. It was better to let dad get in trouble than do it himself. The other part when to Lohgan and then Illya snitched a piece for himself. Both the kids were done with theirs when Kalizda walked in and saw him breaking the piece he stole into three pieces. It was obvious he was the bacon thief and he quickly dolled it out and then shoved his piece n his mouth. "Jes a little bit. Dey're hungry."

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

After dinner Illya got the kids ready for bed. Kalizda wasn't one to be talking about spending too much time standing. She should have been resting, but she was insistent on helping ever since he arrived. Chances were she'd been up and doing things around the ship before that. All of it likely some sort of preparation for Helen and Terrence to be riding with them. There was plenty of activity at the port with other ships warming up their engines and following suit.

The kids seemed to pick up on the excitement and they couldn't even close their tired little eyes for five minutes. Illya gave up and he decided to set the kids in their little take off seats with one of the viewing spots open for them. Lohgan started to clap when she saw the red, blue, white, green, orange, and yellow flames from the other ships. Colorful sparks floated by and she squeaked again. The girl loved everything that had to do with ships and flying. Cypher practically bounced in his seat and kept yelling for them to go. "We dun go yet." Illya knew it would be about another 10 minutes before they would actually be headed off the planet. Finally, the message came through his headpiece and he grinned.

Making his way to the cockpit Illya could see Kalizda's pale little fingers dancing across the systems check screen. If he had not seen her hand he wouldn't have known she was in the room. The captain's chair swallowed her entire little frame, but she always got a spark in her eye when she flew the Silver Mountain. Plopping down in the co-pilot seat Illya started making the navigation calculations and he ran a preliminary scan and report of the airspace beyond the planet. The Pithians must have done some airspace clean up because there wasn't much debris floating outside their planet anymore. It was necessary to clean up debris like that. In time it would work its way into the atmosphere and then there would be a mess of raining ship parts and other issues. He'd seen it before after battles and that was never pretty.

"We got clear pat." Illya typed his calculations into the ship's computer and let it scan them for accuracy. Of course he was right and he grinned with satisfaction. He always took a certain level of pride in the fact that he could do the math well and quickly. In fact he knew that was the reason that the Chippequoti had been able to destroy an invisible ship. It was Asha and her team of Chip airmen that had lead the successful first strike on the ship. Other's had to follow suit when they realized their ships could not calculate the enemy, but using a little bit of older and more accurate technology, the brain had done far better when facing the enemy. Ingenuity and a little practice would almost always play out better than blind trust in a machine. When Kalizda started to pull the thrust knob toward herself Illya buckled himself into his seat. He knew better than to try and get up during the take off unless there was an emergency of sorts.

Even with the extra benefits of the ships gravity and extra insulation from exterior influence he could still feel the thrust of the engines. Illya settled into the seat and just watched Kalizda work the controls with that little spark in her eyes. She loved it and he would never take flight from her. No matter how old and frail she got he would make sure she had a way to get on a ship and fly. Besides, he would likely be old and taking off in a ship would be about all the more excitement he could handle by then.

Just the thought of getting old made Illya chuckle a little. He hadn't thought about that in a long time. For decades he didn't think he would live to be an old man and now he was thinking about it again. Catching Kalizda's gaze he winked. "I tink about how boring I get when I'm old man. Maybe letting yah take meh flying es all I can take for excitement when I get tah be old." A play smirk rested on his face as if betraying the fact that he would probably never settle down that much. It was a nice thought, but Illya knew that he wouldn't be one to let that be the only excitement in his life. "Well, maybe I would want tah go make trouble when we land." Taking a deep breath he looked around the ship. "Dah ship es different den when we met, but I remember when I fly wit yah first time. I like tah be yah co-pilot." He didn't like piloting the ship so much as he liked doing the navigation work and sometimes the engine work if he knew what he was doing. "Maybe I learn more about yah engines and be yah mechanic too." He knew exactly what it sounded like and he wanted it to sound that way. Leaning forward he kissed her on the side of her cheek. "Tell meh when ets good and steady and yah have et on auto-pilot. Den I can put dah kids tah bed. Dey jes want tah see take off."

Since it was now smoother riding Illya unbuckled and started back toward the main cabin. Probably in the next few minutes Kalizda would be easing the ship into their charted path and then she could put it on auto-pilot. In the meantime the main part of take off was over and Illya wanted to sit with the kids for a few minutes. The observatory window gave the kids full view of the ships taking off from the planet behind them. In the moonlight they could see the bands of the magnetic barrier glow and stretch as the ships broke through. The bands would automatically reattach and then stretch and break again in a mesmerizing sort of way. They were finally on the journey home and in a way it felt a bit frightening, but good at the same time.