Kalizda seemed to spend more and more time talking with him. In some ways it was nice to have someone to just talk about life with even if they were quite different in many little things. At the end of the evening he started to find himself more frequently missing words that she said and sometimes he just stared at her with a blank expression. Finally he nodded and stood up from the table. "We need to get some rest eh?" He felt a little wore out and he hated to admit that the long hours were starting to get to him, but he had to get to bed. Not to mention sleeping in an over crowded room and sharing his bunk with a kid really didn't help the situation of rest.

Getting settled into the bed he had to shift the kid over again and then he heard one of the others begin to whimper a little. Illya cringed at the sound. He just wanted to get some sleep. Then as soon as it was quiet and he could sleep he felt like he was wide awake instead. The book from Kalizda was still here in his bunk so he flicked the overhead lamp on and started to read some of the book.

When Illya woke he discovered the book was laying across his chest and he had one hand flopped over his eyes with the lamp still shining brightly overhead. Usually he remembered falling asleep, but this time he must have been especially tired out. Carefully sitting up he threw one leg over the edge of the bunk and lifted himself up with his arms. Illya had originally intended to get out of the bed silently. With just a simple miscalculation his foot managed to entirely miss the ladder and he was in mid air and far too late to change his mind. Instead it almost appeared that he was vaulting himself over the kid in his bunk and then onto the floor. "Whoaaaaa..." Even though Illya tried to old onto the side bar of the bunk it only seemed to make it all in slow motion. He watched himself tip upside down and his leg coming off the bunk flew straight up in the air and he could see he was going to kick the light out, but there was no stopping it.

It wasn't until Illya hit the floor that he realized his book must have slid off the bunk at some point too. The spine of the book was thankfully durable though Illya arched his back slightly after he hit the book. For a brief moment he wondered if they lined the book with metal sheets. With a groan he started to peel himself off the floor and promptly knocked his shin on one of the lower bunks when he put the book back in his bunk. Even if he had intended to let the others sleep it was apparent that most of them were awake now.

One of the other Chippeqouti peered out of their bunk at Illya. "Sorry I moved meh ladder. Kept kicking it last night."

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

By the time they had landed on the new planet Illya had managed to fall out of his bunk, burn his thumb on the cooking kettle and hit his head on the door jam of the navigation room. There were times when he forgot to duck and that had been one of them. Rubbing the top of his head Illya flicked his end of the controls on and began to throw the damper onto the thrust so they would gradually slow down rather than come to a halting stop.

Kalizda told him it was a warm port and that was happy news. The confines of the ship had almost become too much. Everyone needed out and Illya figured that the elderly Chips probably felt as eager as himself to get outside. They were not used to living so much of their lives indoors. Since Illya wasn't feeling particularly energetic after several nights of limited sleep he went back to his room to get the book, pen, and some note paper. As he was preparing to step outside a herd of children came tumbling after him. One of them started to yell in Quoti and Illya looked back at the child. "Practice yah Trader's language. It will be important where we go eh?"

A few of the older children nodded. They were still eager to get outside and they wanted Illya to take them. The man relented and decided that it couldn't hurt to take them to a large outdoor area to play and he could simply read. It was obvious by the kinds of citizens living here that it wouldn't be difficult to pick out the 6 Chip children that had come with him.

Laying down in the brush Illya held the book almost over his face while the kids raced around outside and then decided to try and pick up one of the cat people's children. "Look! We should keep it. Illya got one almost like dis and he gave et ta da captain as a pet. A little tiny one." The cat squirmed in the arms of the boy and managed to get himself free.

Straightening his clothes the little cat boy looked at them. "I'm not tiny!"

The children gasped in surprise as the little cat answered them. "Da captains cat never talks." They'd never witnessed a cat talk before not even in the desert of Quoti. "Doesn't wear clothes either. Just walks around in its fur all day long." One of the others exclaimed.

Ears pricked on the mother cat when she heard what was going on. It sounded like these strange little children had witnessed a kidnapping or sick slavery or sorts. Her emerald eyes narrowed and she peered about to see who this Illya was that they were talking about. Casually she drew out her phone and she began to dial the police. They needed to be here to ensure that these travelers were not kidnapping their young.

Illya barely heard the tail end of the conversation going on with the children. "Wha...." Sitting up off the ground he quickly tucked his book under his arm along with the notebook and pen. "No, no, no." Clearing his throat he made his way over to the kids. "C'mon time ta go." Last thing he needed was to get into some sort of altercation with the natives on this planet. "Keysha is not dis kind of cat. She's different."

"But da captain hogs da cat. We want to play wit et too!" Throwing up protest one of the children looked up at Illya with hopeful eyes. "Dis one talks!"

"No!" Illya shuffled the kids back toward the little sidewalk that would take them to the ship. They needed to get out of here before the kids said something much worse. They didn't understand the concept of different races. Suddenly a voice behind him snarled and Illya turned instinctively, which proved to be the wrong reaction. A long electric prod caught him right right in the side. The cat wasn't particularly kind about it either. It was almost like it enjoyed to play with its prey and Illya barely got control of his senses enough to keep from falling and the cat hit him with the prod again. After several jolts of electricity he started to stumble and two of the kids took off. The other four screamed and kicked when the other cat people arrested them. A single prod wasn't quite enough to do much more than stun Illya and a few more police cats joined the process of zapping him till he was on the ground and far more manageable.

How they managed to get Illya back to the jail cell that he was now crouched in he didn't know. It was like a tiny box they had tried to stuff him in and the four remaining children sat on a bench all tied together and staring at him from the other end of the bars. Sitting next to them he saw his book, notebook, and pen. At least he wouldn't lose all his algorithms that he'd made to try and explain the history of her book.

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

"Captain!!!!!!!!!" Screaming at the top of her lungs one of the older girls drug her sister behind herself. At the age of 8 she wasn't quite familiar with the idea of stealth, or inter racial relations. "Dey trying ta kill Illya!" Her sister tripped part way up the plank leading into the ship and she drug her regardless.

On the heels of the children a unit of cat police came charging in on all fours. There wasn't time for the children to explain their situation before one of the cat police showed a court order. "We're here to investigate a case of possible catnapping, slavery, and cat-trafficking." The golden eyes of the cat person sharpened some as he peered at all the strangers on board the captain's ship. "Are you the captain?" Nodding a little he went on with some of the further charges and then asked a final question. "Are you aware of all your crew's doing?" Giving a little hiss he whipped his tail about and then took down a few more notes. "We'll make a thorough investigation then."
 
Calysta sat in the grass just outside the ship enjoying the warm, humid breeze and the sight of the palm trees swaying. This planet had been the perfect place to stop and relax for awhile. It was quiet, fairly clean and she had no trouble ordering more supplies for the crew from the market. It had been requested that more fruit be added into the kitchen, if she could get it. With several different trades, and running from store to store, she did manage to get a crate of peachy sort of fruit from a merchant who wanted a box of tea from the ship. Apparently they were a tea enthusiasts who enjoyed off-world brews.

Illya had taken all the children to the park not to far from the dock. Well, she wasn't entirely sure who had taken who. They had tumbled out of the ship after him like ducklings after their mother, giggling and yelling in excitement. He hadn't had much of a choice but to take them with him. Something told her Illya didn't mind all that much though.

While Calysta sat in the sun and waited for the supplies to arrive, she listened to some of the older Chips talk. The spoke their language so quickly it was hard to even pick up on distinct words for her sometimes. It would be helpful to know some of what they were saying, or at least being able to ask the ones that spoke no traders-tongues their names. The older ones of the group were still a bit quiet around her, but she wondered if they would be willing to talk with her more. To teach her.

One of them, a violet eyed man she knew spoke some traders-tongue, at least he had spoken enough for her to learn his name, was sitting in the grass close by. "Ed?"

The Chip turned his head at the sound of his name, his slightly grey curls catching in the breeze. "Aye, Kalizda woman?"

"Would you be willing to teach me some of your language while we wait?"

The older man grinned, and nodded. "I teach yah Quoti captain, if yeh want ta learn."

Smiling, she turned in the grass to face him, sitting cross legged and ready to listen.

****
"Captain!!!!!!!!! Dey trying ta kill Illya!"

Shrill cries came from outside and Calysta dropped the supply list in the seat of her chair. "What in the Wilds?" She immediately strode outside with Ayrn at her heels. Two of the Chip girls were tumbling up the gang-plank in a flurry of screams and teary eyes, before they crashed into her legs. Calysta wobbled, throwing her hands out as the girls wrapped around her knees to hide. "Whoa...whoa...what's-"

Several of the cat-natives were trotting up the ramp, blocking the exit and thrust a notice at her with angry yellow eyes. "We're here to investigate a case of possible catnapping, slavery, and cat-trafficking. Are you the captain? Are you aware of everything your crew was doing?"

She barely had time to answer as the cat's growling tone spilled out one question after the other. "Slavery? Cat-napping? Yes, I am the Captain and I can assure you there's nothing of the sort going on this ship. And before charges start getting thrown around, how about you tell why you think that sort of thing is going on?"

"A call was sent into the authorities about your crew members trying to take cubs out of the park," he growled back, "Slavery is illegal here and we prosecute cat-napping to the fullest extent of the law."

Calysta sighed as the girls clutched at her shirt tail from behind her back. "It's just a misunderstand-"

"-A thorough investigation will determine that. You will submit to an inspection by the port authorities."

Her eyes narrowed some but it wasn't like she had much of a choice. They were going to inspect it whether she liked it or not and she could only hope that they wouldn't notice ship was stolen. Or the fact the crew was comprised of a group of exiles, a wayward Terran, and an accused inter-planetary killer. How on earth did Illya manage to get into these messes? And with the kids too? Was it a Chippeqouti's mission in life to find trouble wherever they went?

"As much good it will do you," she replied sharply, "There's nothing illegal aboard my ship, and you have also yet to tell me where the rest of my passengers are. I have a right to know where there are as Captain."

"They are being held by local authorities and will only be released to you when my investigation is complete."

Then he brushed past her with his colleagues and entered the Ekram without another word.

****
Calysta rounded up the rest of the Chips and asked them in her best traders-tongue to stay in the bunk room for the inspection. They were confused but complied, though they were obviously worried about the others. The two girls hardly wanted to let go of her, but she took them by the hands, and lead them to the bunks.

"Stay here, okay?" she said, picking up each and putting them on the top of Illya's bunk, "I'll get it fixed." Hopefully.

The two wiped at their eyes and nodded. She gave them an encouraging smile and then strode off to the cockpit where the cats were flipping through the ship's main information page on the screen. If they ran the serial numbers, they might have found the ship was reported as stolen. Then again, the Zkree were prideful and the fact the ship was stolen by an illegal exile might have kept them tight lipped enough not to get involved. Her palms began to sweat a little and she shoved them into her pockets as the cat rounded on her.

"You are the Zkree woman named Lowla Winfry? Owner of the Zrkeen mid-class ship, The Ekram?" he demanded, his ears laid back.

She nearly cringed at the sound of such a name being used for anyone, much less someone asking if she claimed it. "Yes," she lied trying to sound casual.

"You don't look like any Zkree I have ever seen."

She jutted her jaw out, trying to look more proud. "You're questioning the purity of my genes? I'm part of a genetic trial from a few years ago, I'll have you know."

The cat grumbled and set back down on all fours and slipped past her again. He made no indication whether or not he believed her, and simply kept walking to the bunk room while his other officers inspected the other rooms.

His yellow eyes swept over the bunk room, looking at all the Chips. The two girls shied away as his eyes settled on them and his ears laid back again. "These people are not Zkreen. Where are they from? Why are they with you?"

A shock of fear went through her. She couldn't very well tell him where they had come from and why a Zkree ship had them. How could she explain them? The seconds ticked by, making her sound unable to answer until Ayrn stepped forward from his bunk and her stomach dropped to her toes.

"Vacation of course," Ayrn said with an easy smile.

The cat stood up on his hind legs, taking up nearly the entire door as he peer down at the Terran. "Vacation? And who are you?"

"Aaron the Terran at your service," he said holding out his hand for the cat to shake.

The officer's whiskers ruffled and Aryn quickly dropped his hand, but his smile didn't falter. "These lovely folks don't get out to often, from a little spot called C23, and hired my partner and I to show them around the quadrant."

The cats eyes shifted around the room again and then back to Ayrn. He had heard of the cold planet shrouded in the Hoar Nebula. The residents there were most definitely reclusive. If that's where they were from, no wonder they decided to come to their port. "Bunch of foreigners on vacation?"

"That's it, sir," he smiled, then leaned a bit closer, "They don't talk much trader-tongue but they pay well."

With a rumbling growl, he lowered himself to all fours again and walked the length of the bunk room, his tail flicking. Were they going to buy a story like that? Calysta's hands were balled into fists in her pockets by the time the other two officers came down the hall empty handed. "Sir, we didn't find anything. Nothing in the other quarters, utility rooms, engine room or cargo hold. The removable ceiling and electrical panels were checked as well."

Calysta glanced to the lead officer, with a raised brow, "Now that you've disrupted my work, and my guests day, do you mind if I have the rest of them back?'

****

The cat lead her and Ayrn to the station where she found a grumpy looking Illya jammed into a small holding cell and the children bound but sitting on a bench nearby. The kids eyes lit up some when they saw her and they wiggled in their seats. "Captain!" She held her finger to her lips, shushing them. She didn't need them calling out her actual name in front of the officers she just lied to. They fell silent as the officer released them from the bindings and they slid off the bench.

Ayrn stood by Illya's cell door, trying to look professional but it was honestly just hard to fight the grin. The sight of the huge co-pilot stuffed sullenly in such a tiny cell was pretty funny. Calysta came to stand beside him with an arm full of Illya's stuff in her hands, and he bit his lip trying to stifle the smile. "Rough day, eh friend? We'll have you out in no time."

****

After the ship had been tossed over from bow to stern, and Illya along with his cohorts were aboard, she followed the port authorities orders to leave immediately. Illya helped her guide the ship into their next jump and once they were well on their way, she turned to him. She wasn't exactly thrilled. It could have caused serious problems had the officers found anything out about her or the rest of them for that matter. It was obvious he knew that though and was irritated, perhaps even a little embarrassed, from the whole event. Despite all of that, it had turned out alright, and she had too much on her already to fuss about what could have happened.

"I think perhaps it might be best if we have a talk with the kids," she said, with a small smile.
 
Illya was crunched up in the cell for what felt like forever. His back was curled against the bars behind himself and his legs were almost mashed into the bars of the cell in front of himself. He couldn't even stand, much less shift his position in the cell. Staring at the kids as they shifted around and stared at him just made Illya all the more upset. The little rats didn't know it, but they were the ones to have gotten him stuck here in this cell. When they got back he was going to have to talk to them about the proper way to conduct themselves. Thankfully they had not grown up in a time where their home was occupied by strangers, but they were about to be growing up in a place where they would be almost alone. Chippeqouti and their way of life was changing drastically. It had to, or they would not be surviving the next war. Part of Illya wondered if they were going to wage the war just to distract the Federation while they moved as many of their people out as possible? If that was the reason it would be a good war. As much as he wanted to be part of the war he was also greatly relieved that he was taking part, but in a different way.

All of it would be fine if he could get himself out of this little cell. While he was contemplating a way to explain that the children were merely thinking that the cat people were not a species and animal he heard a familiar voice come into the jail. It sounded like Ayrn and he closed his eyes briefly with a long exhale. Of course it had to be the Terran coming in to 'rescue' him from the innocence of the kids and a horrible misunderstanding. Illya had to tilt his head to the side since he couldn't lift it. Peering at Kalizda and Ayrn he grumbled. "I hope so. My legs are starting to cramp."

It was obvious to Illya that the cat people were not nearly as anxious to see him out of the cell as they were to originally get him in it. A few of the cat officers stood by as Illya leaned forward and angled his shoulders so that he could crawl through the opening. When he raised his head he found that he was looking directly at Ayrn who was obviously more than pleased to be witnessing this event.

By the time they reached the ship it seemed that Kalizda couldn't have been more anxious to get off the planet and Illya could agree with her on that one. He was tired out and frustrated too. All the non-restful nights and now getting impounded because the kids just didn't know. Kalizda looked over at him and at first he half expected her to ask what happened and instead she mentioned talking to the kids. Snorting a little he nodded his head. "Aye, think I'll be talking with th-them all. Make sure the others know what happened so dey can talk to th-the kids too." It was best to talk to them in their own language since it would be the most efficient way to ensure that they could make it through the conversation with minimal confusion.

Now that they were in the air Illya went back to the bunk room. With a quick headcount he made sure they were all there before he started off in Quoti. The first part was just explaining what happened and then he spoke to the kids. "Remember this. When we are around others we don't speak of what we want, like, or prefer. We only speak of what we need and how to make trades. Be ready to learn, but do not be anxious to take anything that you have not paid for eh?"

The kids all nodded and Illya went back out of the room. He could already hear some of the older Chippeqouti talking to the children again. It seemed that the little ones were going to be learning a lot of lessons now. While he was cooking Illya heard the others start to mill about and the children were busily helping to clean the ship before they had time to play. Dinner wasn't so difficult to make and the other Chips had come to help again. From the sound of it one of the older women planned to take over making meals tomorrow and a few others were going to do the dishes so that they could ease up some of the duties from Illya.

After dinner Illya went to sit with Kalizda in the navigation room. It was usually one of his favorite spots to be at in the ship. It was mostly quiet and generally undisturbed. Tucked under his arm was the book that he had already read the rest of and his notebook with a massive equation of nearly 20 pages. "Kalizda, yah in here?" She had the back of her chair facing the doorway and it was hard to tell if she was there or not.

She turned in her chair, and glanced up from her notebook as Keysha sat in her lap purring. "Aye, I'm here."

"Good." Illya plopped into his seat and pushed his notebook toward her. "I read thhe book. A good story, but it is not possible. I don't make mistakes when I make equations and thhe equation says it is wrong." As a side note he promptly added, "I and the others spoke to the children today. Th-they understand better now how to talk with those not Chippeqouti."

She was glad he had spoken with the children, but the first part of what he said confused her. She picked up the note book and glanced over his scrawling numbers. There was page after page of equations that she had no idea how he had linked to the Terran myth. It was impressive, but how had he gone so far with this? She had told him it was a myth when he asked, right? "I'm glad you enjoyed it...at least it looks like you did...though you have me confused," she replied, " The Odyessy is a Terran myth. Not meant to be real."

A frown began to grow on his face when she said she was confused. How could she be? His math was right and it was a perfectly logical interpretation of what he read. "Yah said it was some history?" Leaning back in his chair Illya pushed on his top left eye tooth with his tongue and then closed his mouth while he played around his teeth with his tongue and he leaned forward to examine his math again.

"Yes, you did," she laughed, as she sat back in her chair, " You probably read it more thoroughly than any of the Terrans I've ever met, actually. "

Somehow it seemed she found her miscommunication to be funny. It was a lot of work that he went through reading it. While it was completely enjoyable in some aspects, he wouldn't have taken it as seriously if he'd known. "Uh huh." Finally he lost patience with the tooth and grabbed hold of it with two fingers. He'd wobbled it around with his tongue enough that he was pretty sure it would come out. "Agh..." Illya pulled hard and fast then closed his mouth and worked the bloody pulp left while he stared at the tooth between his fingers. "Thought th-that one was ready."

Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open some as he sat there holding a pearly tooth ripped from his own mouth. "What in the...why did you just pull out a tooth?!"

"It was loose." Illya shrugged. "Its about that time."

He seemed entirely calm about pulling out his own incisor. "That's normal?"

Frowning a little he looked at her. "Children lose teeth when they are about 10." For Chippeqouti it was a bit later than other races though he wasn't privy to that knowledge yet. "Then every about every 70 years we get new teeth. Usually a Chip has 7 sets of teeth in their life unless they die young. It is about time for me to get new ones. Isn't it normal for yah kind to have more teeth than the ones yah get as babies?"

Eyeing the tooth with more curiosity than shock now, Calysta nodded. "We grow an adult set earlier but only the one set. Not seven."

"How long do yah kind live?" Illya was half in shock. Surely they couldn't live that long if they didn't get many teeth. Not as though she should have expected his teeth would last 400 years or more.

She knew the Chippeqouti were long lived simply from hearing Illya speak, but she was used to meeting races of all kinds of longevity. It was apparently a shock for him to learn that not everyone lived so long. "120 -140 good years at the current moment," she replied evenly.

It was a little disconcerting to know that she was already getting old for her race. She was barely starting her life and she was already mostly dead. "Oh." Illya's voice dropped slightly. "What do yah mean by good years? Yah mean anything older and yah wish yah died?"

He was giving her strange look as if he was slightly horrified and a little sorry he'd asked, but she pretended not to notice. "A decline yes, but I have seen a few Kaereleans live up to into the mid-150's pretty well."

"Ah..." Blinking a few times he finally looked off to the side and he grinned. "Ehaui can fex that for yah. Pretty sure th-they know how to give yah longer to get more done. Yah just don't have enough time."

"Maybe they could," she smiled, "It'd be nice to live much longer. Though, I'd like to think about it as quality rather than quantity. As I long as I did something worth while with the time I did have, it would be alright."

His eyebrows raised some while Kalizda spoke about the quality rather than quantity of years as if some would wast them. "No, no, there is always too much to do. A Chip will stay busy till th-they die. Even if yah live for longer and yah body fails there is a mind that learned much."

What he was saying, this mind set of no wasted time, was evident in everything he did, and everything she had seen the other Chips do was as well. The constant drive to do things and learn things was something she admired about him and his people. "I agree, time is something that should never be wasted, not matter who you are or how long you live. There's always some way to keep improving," she replied, then her smile grew wider, "If only we could just teach Ayrn that."

A mischievous grin came to Illya's face. "I th-think he would learn well if he lived with us for a long time. Yah work hard and yah must always accomplish or yah get no woman."

"Is that how they choose on who to agree with?" she chuckled, "I think he might just find some motivation, if that's the case. Chip women sound like they're a step ahead of him."

"Not entirely. Chip women find a man who works hard in all or as many places as he can." Illya figured it was a good time to ask about her people. "How do yah kind agree, or pick one th-they want?"

Calysta thought for a moment on how to answer that question. She hadn't exactly had a typical upbringing even my most Kaerelean standards, and hadn't actually dated all that much if she was honest with herself. "Well, Terrans and most Kaereleans would find someone they found attractive and invite them out to get to know them. The two would do this many times, until they decided they wanted to make themselves a permanent couple. Usually the male proposes, but women can too if they like, and if the other accepts then there is a ceremony to make the union official. "

The idea of a ceremony seemed so strange. Illya thought for a moment. "What is the ceremony like?"

"There are a few different ways to make the ceremony," she mused, "Typically, the couple stands before an officiant and recites vows of love, honor, and protection, to one another. A declaration of sorts. On my continent women often wear red or purple dresses and then men wear similar colors to the ceremony. The families from both are invited to watch and then after there is usually a party to celebrate. Is there no ceremony for a Chip union?"

Illya nearly choked when she said that the bride usually had a red or purple dress. He had not known that when he got her the red colored dress and now he was very glad that she didn't know he got it for her. Not that he didn't like her, but that was awkward. "None.." His voice was slightly strained and he took a deep breath. "We just announce to th-the elders we are agreed and thhat's it."

His voice pitched a little, and she had no doubt that he was realizing his choice in secret gift. Not that she had taken it that way, even when she found out, nor would have anyone else on Kaereal since he was not in red or wearing a sash to match. She didn't tell him otherwise though, it would only make him more uncomfortable. "Interesting, you don't tell your parents? Or doing anything special?"

Clearing his throat Illya shook his head. "Nah, after yah turn 17 yah on yah own and it is a choice only da two can make."

"That's close to the age of adulthood for my people too. Chippeqouti don't stay close with their parents though? And what happens if you agree with someone and it doesn't work out?" she asked, trying to move past the dress subject for him.

Some of the assumptions she made were quite strange. "We stay close to our parents, but thhey do not care for us as children after we are 17. If we agree and it is not good..eh." Illya shrugged. "Yah live a very unhappy and long life."

So, they stayed together for life happy or not. Their very long lives. Now it made sense why they placed so much importance on agreements. Nobody wanted to be stuck with someone they would grow to dislike. It also made it clear that he had expected to love and live with his family until the end of his long days. In part, she was a little envious but also a little sad that he would never get to. "Well, that is definitely a little different from Kaerelean culture, but I think in some ways, its a good thing."

"Kaerelean are not together for life?" Illya queried as cautiously as he could.

She was positive that sounded strange to him, given what he had just told her about Chip traditions. "The ceremony is meant to be taken for a lifetime. 'Till the shadows are long' as the vow goes. But sometimes people split up and don't stay together. They find different people to love. "

Nodding a little he simply stared at his hands and then glanced back up at her. "It is getting late. I need rest." Illya got up from his chair and started back for the bunk room. There was so much to think about after that short conversation. First of all it was no wonder she was giving him little flirty messages. He had unwittingly given her a wedding dress. To make it all worse she seemed to have insinuated that he wasn't the first man she'd shown interest in. At some point he would have to make up his mind. It seemed that it was his job and not hers to do the asking, generally. From now on Illya was determined to be a little more careful with his gestures. Perhaps he would have to wait and see if she found interest in someone else or if she asked him. Asking her or having her ask him, either was a terrifying prospect. He simply could not operate as her co-pilot if that happened and yet he couldn't have her knowing all about his people if they parted ways. This was turning into a royal disaster.

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

Two days later it was Illya's turn to help in the kitchen again. "Hold the knife down when yah walk." Illya had to keep reminding the little ones how to walk with a knife so they didn't hurt anyone and he was trying to help them become more fluent in the Trader's tongue. Whenever they helped in the kitchen it made him a little nervous. Taking the knives and moving them further away on the counter he turned his back to the kids and resumed chopping some of the vegetables on the board.

For the time there wasn't anything else that he could give the children to do so he sent them out to the hall to play. "Illya, get some fruit. I'll make a cake." The older woman nodded to him. She knew that with the journey being long and cramped that the more things there were pleasant on board the ship and the more that there was to look forward to the less difficult it would seem. She didn't like going to the store room as it was close to the engine room, but she knew that he was used to it, so it made Illya a prime candidate.

One of the children came back into the kitchen and they grabbed a knife to take it to the sink. Another one of the children ran into the kitchen at full speed to ask for a drink of water. Instead a yelp sounded and the boy peered to the side to see one of the younger children holding a knife that had run deep into his side. The older woman's eyes shot to the children and she quickly ordered the one holding the knife. "Quickly, get Edgar!" The wide eyed child nodded their head and raced back toward the bunk room.

There was a lot of racing through the hall leading toward the kitchen and Illya stepped inside only to see a small river of blood slowly rolling across the floor. Dropping the food he collected from the storage room he peered over the island in the kitchen and then started running down the hallway toward Kalizda's room. He didn't care if she was naked. Throwing her door open he nearly panted the words. "We have to land now!"
 
Calysta stood motionlessly between the two panels of the navigation room holding her breath. If she even wiggled so much as a centimeter they would find her and it would all be over. The sound of footsteps came from the stairs and she held perfectly and utterly still. She could tell there were eyes searching for her.

"Here!"

A small hand shot in between the panels and grabbed her shirt sleeve, tugging her out into the open. Calysta squealed some at being found, making her captor giggle as she was pulled from the hiding spot.

"You got me," Calysta laughed as she collapsed into her copilots chair. She let her head loll to the side and closed her eyes as the little girl kept tugging on her hands. "Captain! Captain!"

She kept her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep until more little footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. "Ooof!"
Something landed squarely in the middle of her stomach and she opened her eyes to see the smallest of the boys, a child close to 5, sitting in her lap. His big green eyes stared up at her and a broad grin was plastered on his face. The other children were gathered around the chair tugging on her sleeves and bouncing on their heels.

"Alright, alright," she chuckled, "I'm awake! Go play another round before its bed time."

They didn't hesitate to dash off downstairs, save for the little one in her lap. Calysta sat him down and ushered him up the stairs too, where he took a few awkward skips before joining the others.

"Don't run!' she called out to them as they scattered.

The kids had gotten a little stir crazy after dinner. Chasing down Keysha to play with her, and bowling over Ayrn in a stampede in pursuit of the cat had caused a little bit of a stir. Some noticeable laughs too. To keep the chaos to a minimum, she decided to at least try to focus some of their pent up energy into a game of hide-and-seek. With a few tries in what little traders tongue the children knew and her very limited Quoti to get them going into the game, but her patience was rewarded. It was a universal game for all children it seemed, in one form or another, and they seemed to like playing with her at least.

When the kids were off playing their last round, she wandered toward her quarters, passing Illya on the way. His broad shoulders took up most of the corridor, but she was slim enough to slip by him without much effort. Their conversation the night before had been interesting, but also a bit strange. Calysta couldn't help but feel she had said something wrong after his abrupt exit. She tried to think of anything she might of said that could have been off- putting. Sure, she had been a little shocked at him ripping his own tooth out, but other than that, nothing came to mind besides the red dress. Did he think she took it that way? How would get that idea? She hadn't been flirtatious with him really, though she admittedly did blush around him sometimes. But it wasn't as if she was falling all over him or had made some sort of advance. The dress issue had just been happenstance. An accident.
Even if she did find him attractive and kind of charming when he wasn't being stubborn, it would make very little difference. She doubted he would want someone who was not a Chip.

****

Calysta nearly hit the ceiling when Illya burst through the door, winded and green eyes filled with panic. "We have to land now!"
His words sent a jolt through her and she dropped her boots to join him down the hallway where there was blood pooling in the kitchen doorway.
"Illya...."

She didn't know how, but the smallest of the boys was clutching his side as Edgar cradled him, his hands covered red. Her mind processed the scene and she looked to Edgar, forcing herself to stay calm. "Get him to the med-bay and try to slow the bleeding with pressure!"
The statement sounded more like an order, which is not what she had intended, but there wasn't a spare second to argue. They didn't have the equipment to help with a wound like that and Illya knew it too. They needed help in a port.

She ran barefoot to the cockpit and slammed herself into the chair, whipping around to the navigational screen. Her finger tips worked in a flurry over the glass screen. The star map came up, showing their previous heading, before she swiped it away to expand the map. A port...where was the nearest port?! Her eyes roved the stars until she spotted the nearest stop most likely to have a doctor. With another few taps, she selected the coordinates and the engines jolted in protest at the sudden change of directions, giving the ship a slight pitch until the course correction was done. Grabbing the throttle, she upped their speed to the maximum and took over the controls herself. Autopilot would automatically slow around objects and other ships to allow the sensors time to react. Calysta needed no such caution when the controls were instinct.

****

They barreled into the port and made a easy, but hasty landing on the dock outside. It had taken her less than fifteen minutes to make a 30 minute trip. While she had kept the ship in smooth motions, it wouldn't surprise her if some of the others were a bit air sick. There was just so little time when blood was being lost like that. The outside cameras displayed a town covered in ice and snow swirling in hard gusts of wind. The port was cast in darkness, since they had landed in the beginning of their night. Illya was going to hate it, but at the moment, he could probably care less.

Illya came from the med-bay hauling the little boy in his arms. They had wrapped the wound tight in a pad and gauze but it was still bleeding through and the boy looked deathly pale. Had she been too slow?

"Illya its cold outside, we need to wrap both of you up," she said, looking them over.

He nodded to her and she dashed off to her room, nearly slamming into the door, trying to walk through and open it at the same time. Tumbling inside, she shoved on her boots, tossed on her jacket, and ripped every blanket she had off the bed. When she came back into the hallway, Ayrn met her looking a bit solemn and handed her another blanket. "Thanks."

She ran back to Illya and they wrapped up the boy as fast as they could before running out of the hatch. The cold air made her lungs ache at the first breath outside the door and saw Illya nearly curl over against the cold. There was no time for complaining though. Calysta braced against the harsh wind and they set off into the port through the thick snow fall to find a doctor.

The streets were dark, except for the orange light beaming in from the lamps above, and snow was in thick piles on every corner. There didn't seem to be a large hospital but there was what looked like a doctor's office down the main street. A singular light was burning in the upstairs window. Calsyta half ran and half slid down the street before she dodged up the stairs and bounced against the door. Illya jogged behind her, a grim expression etched on his brow. A glance at the tiny child told her why. The little boy in his arms had gone limp and his tears had become little trails of frost over his cheeks. Were they too late? The sight made her grit her teeth and with the flat of her fist she pounded on the door. "Hey! HEY! Anyone in there! We NEED HELP!"
 
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There was flash of color and that was about all there was to see of Kalizda when she rushed past to look in the kitchen before heading for the navigation. Room Illya knew that Edgar and the others didn't know where the medical bay was so he showed them the way while the engines were thrown into full blast. At first the tipping made the boy cry out and Edgar held onto the boy to steady him. Illya and Edgar both looked at the knife that was still firmly planted in the boy's side. "We need to get the knife stabilized." With the knife jostling around it would only make things worse and the boy was already bleeding heavily from his right side.

While Edgar held the knife steady Illya grabbed wads of gauze to pack around the wound and then began to wrap the boy's side tightly. They couldn't afford for the blade to be moving. Wiping the blood that he could off his hands Illya started for the doorway of the medical bay. "Gonna make sure we're landing soon." He tried not to look very much at the pale little face. The more he looked at the boy the easier it was to feel a deep sense of panic and fear. There was a chance that they wouldn't make it in time and he wasn't so sure that the wound hadn't been fatal from the beginning. Herbs could not fix this and the Chippeqouti hadn't anything besides herbs for a long time. If it had happened on Quoti the boy would have surely died at least here they had a chance.

Wiping his hands on the front of his pants one more time Illya raced for the navigation room. It looked like they were coming in fast. Everything turned to a blur as he grabbed the knobs and turned them with each command that was nearly yelled. He didn't mind the raised voice since he knew it was simply the adrenaline rush.

Nothing was registering in the moments following the landing. He just knew what had to be done. Illya rose from his seat and started straight for the medical bay. Time was something that they could not afford to use at this point. Careful not to disturb the wrapping and the knife still stuck in the boy he pulled him into his grasp. At this point Illya was the only one that was going to be big enough and fast enough to carry the boy at a decent pace. The other older Chips were big enough, but they would not be fast and neither the captain nor Ayrn were quite large enough to carry the child as fast as they would need. Chippeqouti children were quite heavy with their dense bones and it was not realistic to think that the other two would be moving fast enough.

Before he could rush for the doorway Kalizda was tucking blankets around the boy in his arms and then she put a large on over his shoulder and it draped over the child as well. While he waited for the doorway to open Illya spoke to the boy in Quoti. "I do meh part and you do yours." The little green eyes barely opened a slit and he weakly nodded to Illya.

As soon as the air hit Illya started to cringe and he curled his shoulders against the cold though it didn't really help. The boy, though covered by the blankets momentarily shivered. Already Kalizda had shot out ahead of them making her way along the pathways to find a doctor. Illya couldn't help thinking that perhaps it was a good thing. The less jostling of the boy the better. Still a sense of urgency began to take hold when the boy suddenly relaxed instead of maintaining his tense shoulders and legs. Slowing a little he let the blanket fall away from the front of the boy so he could see. He was completely limp and his little lips had begun to turn blue, whether it was the cold or the fact that he stopped breathing Illya couldn't tell.

Kalizda's beating on the door seemed to do very little good. Without much care for anything else at the moment Illya slammed into the door with his body several times and then it began to creak and shudder as if the door would actually open. "Open up!" Bellowing outside the door the Chip began to relentlessly slam into the door till he heard the window in the upstairs slide open.

An older man peered out the window. "I called the guards."

"There was an accident. The boy is hurt!" Illya let the blanket move away from the boy's face so that the man could see. Sharply pulling his head back into the window the old man slammed the window and raced down the stairs. Within a few moments they were inside the small clinic with the boy laying on the table.

Carefully the old man guided his stethoscope over the boy's chest and listened for breathing or a heartbeat. Muttering under his breath he shook his head and reached for an oxygen mask. Within minutes the room was filled with staff and Illya was pushed out of the room along with Kalizda. Still wrapped in the blankets he paced the floor and rubbed at his right shoulder and arm. Occasionally he would sit and rub his leg and then get up and pace some more. The blankets were pulled tightly across his shoulders and he still shivered in the warm clinic. It was too cold outside for his liking.

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

Nearly 2 hours later the waiting room was packed with a few of the other Chippeqouti. Edgar stood quietly in the corner with an older woman and the little girl that held the knife had insisted on coming to be sure that her little friend survived. Finally the doctor came out of the room and he looked to the first two that arrived at his clinic. Assuming they were the parents he quietly started. "I'll need to speak with you both in private."

Following the doctor into the other room Illya looked at him expectantly. Surely they had to have been able to do something for the boy. Even if they had to stay here for several more days he would do it. They would all do it.

"We removed the knife and did our best to repair the damage. It thrust into his liver and there is a massive blood supply. Even then he might have had a chance, but it also pierced his pancreas. I'm sorry. There was nothing more that we could do." He had known when he saw the boy laying on his table that it was likely too late. "The loss of blood alone was fatal, but we cannot repair a pancreas." Lowering his eyes slightly he started for the small surgery room to cover the body and prepare it for burial. His head was lowered some as the old man shuffled into his surgery room once more. His deep brown eyes cast one last long glance at the stunned couple behind himself.

While the man spoke Illya remained almost silent. Walking over to the door that the doctor had finished walking through he gazed through the small window at the bright lights, curtains, and the silhouette of a small body lying on a table. Turning abruptly he started for the larger room that the others were waiting in. As he walked through the door they gave him the same expectant look and he managed to shake his head before tearing the front door to the clinic open. Brisk, long strides took him into the dark streets and Illya finally knelt at the edge of a building. Staring at the blackened snow around the edges of the building he let out a breath and then it all seemed to come out whether he wanted it to, or not.

His shoulders heaved with each breath between the heavy sobs. There were plenty of what if's and he felt as guilty as anyone else though it wasn't his fault. After what felt like nearly forever his bones on the right side began to ache. Wobbily he got to his feet and began to stumble in the general direction of the ship. What could he tell the boy's parents? An accident was not an excuse and they sent him with to protect him from this sort of thing.

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

Edgar quietly walked into the next room and then into the surgery. His Trader's Tongue was halting, but he knew enough to speak what he must. "We need da body burned and his ashes."

The doctor seemed to nod and silently continue his work of preparing the boy. Since that seemed to be the only acknowledgement that he was going to receive the old man stepped back out into the large waiting room and gathered the rest of those who remained. When he reached the ship he asked to see the record of when they landed and the exact location along with the weather. Making careful note of the information that came onto the screen he slipped the little piece of paper into his pocket and then started out to be sure that everyone was on board.

When he found Kalizda on board the ship he paused at her doorway. "We need ta stay for da body. Et's important." The older man wasn't about to break tradition simply because they were here on a strange planet. To ensure that the boy's spirit did not wander the cold lands looking for his body they had to be sure to burn it and send the ashes into the same wind that his spirit took when it left him. That way it would know it no longer belonged here. Instead his spirit could be at rest.
 
Calysta stood in stunned silence as Illya swept from the room with his shoulders hunched. The small green-eyed boy lay lifelessly on the surgical table, as the doctor and his staff began to mill around her, picking up the equipment. He looked lonely and cold there on the table, even half covered by the sheet, and it wasn't right. A child should never look like that.
Shuffling toward the table, reached up and smoothed his curls down, with shaking fingers. Just last night those bright eyes had been staring up at her from her lap with a grin match. Even if she had been fast enough, the doctor had said he was beyond repair. The thought made her throat tighten and her vision grew blurry, waterlogged from the forming tears. A pitiful cry came from the waiting room, reminding her the others were waiting. She wiped at her eyes and went to them, giving the sweet boy one last look before she turned and left.

The little girl who had been holding the knife was bawling, and clung to Edgar as he held her. The elderly Chip nodded to her then passed her off to Calysta to go speak to the surgeon himself. Nobody seemed to argue with him on who he chose to watch after her, and so Calysta picked her up to carrying her back to the ship. She wanted to find Illya too, but she didn't know where he had gone. He wasn't outside the clinic and she couldn't keep the child in the cold. Maybe he had gone back to the ship? If he hadn't, she would wait awhile and then go look for him.

The entire way the girl sobbed into her shoulder, and clung to her neck. Calysta let her cry as much as she wanted while she told her over and over. "It's not your fault." She didn't know if the girl could speak enough traders tongue to even understand. The walk back was a cold one and the girl was heavy. By the time Calysta sat her on a bed in the bunk room, her arms were burning with the effort of having carried her for so long. The elderly who had stayed behind, did not need to ask what had happened. It was written all over her face and heard in the wailing girls cries. They simply gave her respectful nods then tucked the girl into her bed.

Calysta left the bunk room quickly, her nose curling at the smell of strong cleaning liquid. They had cleaned up the blood from the kitchen and hallway thoroughly, but now the entire corridor smelled like a sterile hospital. A scent that was becoming all too familiar to her.

Retreating to her room, the tears she kept back filled her eyes, blurring the room around her, and spilling down over her cheeks. It had been all she could do to keep it together on the walk back and now everything was coming out at once. She tossed off her jacket and threw it on to the bed forcefully as the first sob was finally freed from her throat. The little boy had died without the comfort of his mother or father, so very far from home. It had been an accident and Calysta was all too aware that bad things sometimes simply happened. The fact did very little to ease the guilt piercing her chest.

She cried on the edge of the bed, head in her hands until the door swung open. Edgar stood there looking solemn and she looked up her face sticky and hot from the tears. "Of course," she replied, her voice thick, "Whatever we need to do."

****
Arranging for the cremation was a painful task made even worse by the morgue director. He was a bony man, with beady eyes and a pinched mouth and he refused to do anything with the body without payment first. He also would not speak traders tongue to Illya or any of them for that matter, working only through his native tongue and an assistant translating. They tried bartering and trading, but the director refused every offer.

Eventually, she grew tired of hearing his mild-mannered assistant send them in circles. She was sure Illya was getting ready to go take the body by force and start a bonfire somewhere. While she would be all for that, at this point, the action would draw more attention than they needed. How could someone be so sick as to deny burial rights to a child? The idea of it made her angrier and angrier until she popped her palm against the desk and gave the director a cold stare.

"Wait here and I'll get your miserable fee."

So, she marched off to the ship and retrieved the only thing she had worth enough to pay the man. When she returned to the office 20 minutes later with a wad of blue currency in her fist, she slapped it across the desk. "Go on and count it, like the miser you are."

The director merely shrugged and took his fee, giving her back the left over change.

****
It took the rest of the afternoon for the body to be cremated and she half wondered if the director was taking his time for spite. While they waited, Calysta wandered the winterized town with her jacket pulled around her tightly. The thin cargo jacket was hardly enough to keep out the cold, but it was better than nothing. As she passed by a grocery store and picked up a few things, and also found a clothing store that carried what she was looking for. She bought a light blue ribbon and tied it around her head like head-band before tucking the small bow under her short hair. It looked ridiculous, but it felt wrong not to wear the proper color in someway to the funeral, even if it would be a Chippeqouti one.

When the ashes were ready, Edgar took the little plastic container of ashes and lead them all up to a hill top graced with a single scraggly tree. Illya was favoring his right side just barely. Enough only for someone who had seen him walk often to notice. The urge to ask him if he was alright, sat on the tip of her tongue, she but stayed quiet.

Snow was beginning to fall again, settling over everyone as they huddled in blankets against the cold and let Edgar release the boys ashes into the air. The flecks mixed with the snow as they were carried onto the wind and out onto the snowy hills around. She let her tears fall in silence this time, as the rest of the children sniffled or let out a little cry of their own. Even Ayrn seemed strangely and unequivocally quiet for once as he stood in the back of the crowd. Glancing up at Illya, she saw him battling his own sadness. He was probably think of his own daughter right now too. The realization made her throat tighten and her chest ache all the more.

****
When the funeral was over the Chips made their way back to the ship and she followed behind them. It seemed they liked to keep things simple, which is something she liked when it came to things like this. They were hard enough to deal with on their own. Once aboard, and assured that they were ready to leave, she brought in the air with Illya's help, putting them on them on their original heading. It was evening by the time they were on their way and time for dinner. Illya started to stiffly get out of the co-pilots chair to go work on the meal but Calysta put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"I'll cook tonight."

He gave her a skeptical look, and she managed a half smile of sorts. "I can cook a few things, you know."

With that said, she went off to the kitchen and started working. Some people sent flowers or cards of condolences to grieving families, but Kaereleans made comfort foods. There was nothing more comforting than a lemon chicken soup with rice and herbs. It was one of the few things she could make, mostly because her father had fixed it for her many times as a child. As she chopped at the herbs, their scents wafted through the air, reminding her of home. The warm soup would chase away some of the cold in their bones, and that might be a little comfort.

As she worked, a few of the older Chips came in from to time, but she insisted on cooking it on her own. It gave her time to think about everything, and made her feel useful. The huge pot of soup bubbled on the stove finally, filling the ship with the scent of herbs and lemon rather than cleaner. Much better. The Chippeqouti came to the kitchen in an orderly line and ladled out their soup. She fixed a bowl specifically for Illya and went to deliver it in the cockpit where he sat facing the screen. He was so still she wondered if he was asleep.
"Illya? Are you awake? I brought you some food."
 
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Illya refused to leave the mortuary until the ashes were ready and then he took the urn back to the ship so that Edgar could spread the ashes. They were only at the ship long enough for the others to grab their blankets and shuffle outside. The wind licked at the edges of the blankets and combed through his hair. Illya silently trudged through the snow with the others till they came to a lonely hill. He didn't have anymore expression for the moment. It simply fell into the deep recess of his mind and he was going to let it stay there. Like many Chippeqouti children in the past years he simply did not survive.

At least they had a proper burial. It didn't seem all that long ago to Illya that he had spread Isla's ashes. Glancing at the poor half strangled tree he let out a breath and watched it disappear into the cold air. In some ways funerals had become common place among his people and it still wasn't any easier. Momentarily he was reminded of the funeral for his little girl. She had been a sweet child and this boy was barely older than her. He waited a little longer near the edge of the hill before turning to leave with the others. The first step felt a little uneven and he fought to keep his gait as normal as possible. Illya almost blindly made his way straight for the cock pit when he reached the ship. His head hurt, arm, and the entire right leg throbbed.

Gingerly he lowered himself into the co-pilot chair and he stared ahead at the screen. There wasn't much to look at considering it was the same solar system and map as it was the day before. Within seconds Kalizda got into her own chair and began the systems check. Illya mechanically worked through his side of the controls. By now he had almost memorized the process and his part as the co-pilot. In a way it was helpful to be in that place though he almost wished he had to concentrate harder on what he was doing. This ship was enough to drive a person crazy. Never enough space to truly escape and yet it held a sense of comfort. Dinner still needed to be made and there was cleaning to be done before they could cook. Illya cringed a little as he began to move out of the seat. Instead Kalizda placed her left hand on his right shoulder as she got up. Clenching his jaw he met her gaze and nodded.

When she opened the door he could smell the cleaning solutions that the other Chippeqouti had used. It meant that there wasn't anything left to do. The navigation screen flashed as they passed by a star and the debris that surrounded it. Carefully Illya leaned his head back into the seat. Even if he was supposed to be up and moving around, doing things, and being productive it was good to just sit. Having a few moments to savor all by himself he closed his eyes and tried to let his brain wander. It never seemed to go far as it was occupied with thoughts of the cold planet and instinctively it would bring back the painful memory of the little boy. If there wasn't a boy contending for his mind it was the dreaded aches that had begun to settle into his right side. Wincing a little he tried to shift in the chair to make it more comfortable and failed to even gain an inkling more of comfort. Instead he stiffly leaned back into the chair again and sat very still.

Eventually the door slid open and Illya opened his eyes, but he didn't move. More than likely it was one of the children telling him to come eat and he didn't want to get up. Surprisingly it was Kalizda. He could pretend to be asleep, but she would probably come check at some point and so it was better to simply tell the truth. "I'm awake." Apparently being awake was plenty of invitation for her to come to him with the food. It smelled wonderful and he took the bowl from her with his left hand. Setting it on the desk in front of himself he began to shovel spoons full of the rich broth and herbs into his mouth. After a few bites he glanced at her. "Very good, Kalizda."

She had never seen him eat anything she made with quite so much gusto and it made her smile some. "Thank you," she replied, as she eased into her chair, " It's another one my father taught me. Pretty good for warming you up."

llya wanted to leave some of the day behind and changing the subject would maybe help. With a furrowed brow he shifted his right leg slightly and turned his chair so he could see her better. "Yah father still alive?"

He was still stiff from the cold, judging by the way he moved, but she pretended not to notice. Tucking her leg under her knee, she sat back and nodded. "Aye, he retired on Kaereal after a work accident. He doesn't let it stop him from doing what he wants though. What about yours?"

It was good to know that her father was still alive. He was the only family that she had yet, and he figured it was lucky that she had him still. Her question seemed a little out of place and he squinted his eyes as if trying to figure it out. "Meh what?"

She wasn't sure why the question confused him. It seemed normal to asked the same question back, but it may have simply been the way she phrased it in traders tongue. "Your parents. Are they still alive?"

"Yes." Illya smirked. "Thhey're here with us on th-the ship."

Her mouth fell open and she sat up as if someone had sent an electrical current down her spine. "W-what? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I just did. Besides yah didn't ask till now." He didn't know why she was always thinking he should impart so much information to her.

He was right. She hadn't exactly asked him or known the Chips on the ship too well beyond their names at this point. It just seemed strange that his parents were on the ship and yet she hadn't seen him treat any of them as if they were related to him. "I-I suppose you're right. I didn't ask...but who are they?"

In some ways it was strange having to tell someone who his parents were. Everyone knew who his parents were, except her. "Yvonne and Markus." More than likely she would remember his father. The man was about as hard headed as they came and his mother was always trying to be helpful in some way or another.

Her eyes flitted to the floor as she recalled the names and faces of her passengers. Yvonne she remembered easily. She was tall, graceful and always doing something to help. Particularly, with the children or in the kitchen. Markus was a name that she knew, but was not as familiar with the man himself. He stayed quiet and helped when he could in stoic silence. When her eyes flicked back to Illya's face, she saw the resemblance now. He favored his father with his eyes and jaw line. "I've met them both," she smiled, "Your mother helps out a lot with the kids and in the kitchen. You father is quieter though. I haven't spoken with him much."

"He doesn't say much." Illya glanced back at his soup and moved the bowl to sit in his lap so he could eat and talk at the same time. "Yah eat already, or yah gonna go get some to eat?"

The day had been so long Calysta had barely registered her own hunger. "Oh, I haven't eaten yet, I suppose I'd better before it gets cold, huh?" She slipped out of her chair and went to the kitchen. It seemed like everyone else had gotten their fill, so she ladled herself a bowl full and walked back to the cockpit to join Illya, trying not to drip soup on the way.

While she was gone Illya took the time to gobble a few more bites of the soup while it was hot and then he rested it on his knee. It was warm like the sun on a rock. Only a few moments later Kalizda returned and he decided to tell her what he'd decided. "I uh...Thought I should tell yah I didn't know red was an agreeing color. That dress does look nice on yah though."

Calysta was testing the soup with a small sip, when the dress came up out of the blue. Apparently he knew that she knew, or he was admitting to the gift now. Either way, she swallowed the broth and smiled. "I know you didn't know, Illya," she replied, "It is a beautiful dress, thank you.

"Uh..." Illya opened his mouth and closed it a few times before he got himself put back together. "Why would you thank me for the dress. Never said I gave it to yah. Just said I didn't know what the color meant to yah." No matter how tricky he tried to be it didn't usually turn out and chances were he just gave himself away.

She sat back and watched him struggle for a few seconds. It was strange to see him to be the one speechless for once. Then he started trying to back track. "Why worry about the color of the dress, when it was just found on the ship then?" she asked casually

This was at least something he had an answer for. "I like yah, Kalizda." Clearing his throat he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Didn't want yah to get the wrong impression when I asked yah to go with meh that night in yah red dress. Wouldn't be fair for meh to lead yah on. I'm not ready."

Calysta put down her bowl and looked at him unsure what to say. The first part of what he said surprised her and in some weird way made her happy, but at least the last part was clear. Had he been worried about that the whole time? She would never have expected anything from him other than friendship if that's what he had wanted. She was capable of putting anything she felt to the side. Most of the time at least. "It's alright," she replied, quietly, " I knew it wasn't done on purpose. and so I didn't get the wrong impression. "

Nodding carefully he smiled a little. "One day Kalizda a man will ask for yah. I'll make sure he's a good one eh?" Illya couldn't help laughing a little. "Just don't pick Arse."

"Maybe," she replied with a small smile, "I have better taste than that though."

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

After their talk Illya felt a little more relieved. She understood that he didn't mean anything by the color of the dress and neither had he admitted to giving it to her as a gift. It did sound as though she knew he'd done it. Still he was determined not to admit to the purchasing of it. They had even managed to make fun of the awkward circumstance. Remaining in the room a little longer he waited till he was sure she was in her bed before he attempted to get up.

Gripping the arm of the chair Illya pressed down on it and forced himself to his feet. The stiffness seemed to have settled into his right side long after he'd come into the warm ship. Limping heavily toward the kitchen he set his bowl into the sink and slide the cover over the sink to secure the loose dishes and prevent making a mess if they were to happen to make a sharp turn. With a grunt he managed to use the counter as a little leverage to turn so he wouldn't have to twist at all on his leg. "Augh..." Wincing again he started back for the bunk room.

The elderly Chippeqouti had been kind enough to move the boy that had been bunking with him to another bed to share with someone else. Most of them knew that Illya didn't do well with the cold. Early the next morning Yvonne went to the kitchen to start. She knew that Illya had been taking care of those on board as best he could, but she also knew he wasn't feeling well. After she had put the bread into the oven to bake she returned to the room and checked on Markus and then Illya. "Yah stay in bed eh?" Meeting his gaze she knew he would get up except that his leg hurt too much for that just yet. "I'll get yah some hot packs to help." There were a few herbs she could mix up to rub over the sore bones as well.

Weaving through the hallway that was already filling with the children she came to Kalizda's quarters and knocked carefully. "I need hot pads." Her Trader's Tongue was far more advanced than her husbands and even more clear than Illya's. Having been an interpreter at one point during the war she learned to be nearly fluent. Yvonne followed Kalizda to the cabinet where the hot packs were and she took them carefully from Kalizda. "Thank you."

Turning on her heel the woman started for the bunk room again. Her long dark hair was striped with silver and her face had just started to show signs of aging. In the bunk room she carefully laid the longest hot pad over Illya's leg despite his sharp intake of breath and growl of protest. Holding the second one up she shot a warning glance and then laid the second one along his arm. "Yah just stay resting." Bustling back into the kitchen she pulled the bread out and let it sit on the counter to cool. A small smile came to her lips when she saw Kalizda come into the kitchen. It looked almost like she was surprised. The woman had half a feeling that Kalizda was looking for her son.

"Sit with me. Have some tea." Sliding a cup across the counter to Kalizda she then poured hot water into it and sprinkled a few herbs in the cup. She noticed the woman looking at the locket hanging around her neck and she took it off. "A hologram necklace. We store many pictures of our families in these." Opening the locket she smiled. "Yah see. Markus was only 21 when he agreed and I was 20. So many fights. Yah wouldn't believe how hard headed he could be." Chuckling a little she watched the hologram for a moment. "Then the year I was 46 I had my first. She was a beautiful girl. Then we had Illya about 30 years later." The little hologram showed a bright eyed boy with wild black curls that seemed to wave with his laughter. "He was 5 years old at the time. A sweet child, but just as hard headed as his father. " Chuckling a little she let Kalizda view a few more scenes. "We keep our lockets for many years. It is a good way to remember the faces of our families. Do your people have any such practices?"
 
Calysta slipped under her freshly washed blankets thinking over the conversation she'd had with Illya at dinner. The man had worried that she was interested him a "red dress" capacity. Where Illya had gotten the idea that she was hitting on him, or pursuing him some how, she didn't know. It was natural for him to feel like he wasn't ready for that sort of relationship. She hadn't expected anything of the sort from him and didn't think of him that way. Being simply friends was good, and miles ahead from where they had started out. That would be good enough.
She rolled over, pulling the blankets with her and sighed as she closed her eyes.

****

Calysta woke and realized immediately she'd slept with her mouth open. Her tongue was dry as Quoti and the corners over mouth were gritty with dried spit. Yvonne had come much earlier in the morning asking for hot pads and she had oblidged in a half-asleep state without even asking what they were for before crawling back into bed.

Pulling herself out of the covers and wiping her face, Calysta dressed before setting out to the kitchen for water. Keysha trotted behind her, orange tail curled into a crook and batting at her boot laces. The sound of a cabinet closing and the clink of a cup alerted her to Illya already up and in the kitchen trying to cook. She'd wanted to beat him to it, but the man was always up before she was some how.
Rounding the corner, she started to say good morning to him, but instead she found someone else. Yvonne.

"Oh, Good morning," she yawned, noting the bread already in the oven.

The graceful Chip woman gave her a small smile. "Sit with me. Have some tea."

Seeing breakfast already in the works, Calysta nodded and sat down. The more she looked at Yvonne, the more she saw of Illya, though the resemblance was much more subtle than compared to his father. Her eyes caught on the locket around her neck, and the woman slipped it off to show her that it was a memory keeper.

Calysta watched each image. Illya looked like a very happy child, his green-eyes a little brighter, and his sister looked very much like their mother. There were images of them playing with each other or sitting with Yvonne or Markus. For as quiet and, apparently stubborn, as his father was, his love for his children was evident in the way he looked at both of them. Illya had a good childhood it seemed and she found herself smiling some as his mother asked about her own memories.

"We do. I used to have a digital frame pictures of my and I father in it. Just a few from over the years ...but..it was lost." She didn't want to tell the woman it was among the possessions taken from the Gylcryn when she first landed. "I didn't know Illya had an older sister."

Only a digital frame? Yvonne couldn't help some of her surprise. It was such an old fashioned way to keep memories. Almost all the Chip women kept little holograms of their families. It was a good way to remember them and look back at good times, or be reminded how they survived difficult times. "I'm sorry to hear that you lost the pictures. It is a difficult thing."

Yvonne mentioned her photos, but said nothing of his sister. Was she dead as well? Illya had told her Chippequoti didn't speak of the dead, and she had tried to respect that fact. "It's alright. He may have some copies somewhere that I can download sometime. There weren't very many on it. Not as many as you have a t least," she smiled, taking a sip of tea. "Your family is big. Do all Chippequoti have such large families?"


A smile came to the woman's face when the other mentioned the size of her family. "Not a very large family. Only 2 children. Chippeqouti try to have as many children as possible. They are precious to us." She tilted her cup to her lips and sipped at the drink quietly. "Do your people not strive to have more than one child?"

Two wasn't a large family? Of course her view was a little skewed having grown up with no siblings that she knew of. "Some Kaereleans try to have as many as possible, depending on what continent they were raised on, and others only have two maybe three. I grew up where one or two was the normal. Is having as many as possible a tradition?"

Yvonne listened carefully to Kalizda. It sounded like she didn't understand the reason at all. "More than a tradition. We must." Setting the tea aside for the moment she decided to explain. "A Chip woman only has 3 cycles a year. It makes it very difficult for her to become pregnant. This is why we try to have many children."

Calysta sat up a little, as seeing the logic behind the idea now. " Oh, I didn't know that, but it makes sense when you explain it. I see now why you cherish them so much. Kaerealeans had population issues due to isolationism rather than difficulties actually getting pregnant."

Giving Kalizda a thoughtful look she nodded. "I see." The woman was curious about Kalizda in many ways. "You have helped us long after your debt was paid. Why do you help?"

Yvonne had presented a question that, in some ways, still puzzled Calysta. She didn't answer at first, taking another sip of tea to disguise her need for a minute to think on how to answer. Swallowing the herb tea, she put the cup down and met the Chip woman's gaze. "I have a strong belief that knowledge shouldn't be kept from people, and I also believe that while the war was misguided what has been done to your people is wrong," she replied evenly, "Beyond that, I have a t respect your son. He's a good man and friend. And I protect my friends."

The older woman let out a long breath. "Many are still wary of you. We have not had the privilege of anyone outside whom we can trust for a long time. Outsiders have not understood our intentions despite many reassurances and there has been decades of distrust."

Calysta nodded some, encircling her cup with her thin hands more for the warmth than anything. Yvonne seemed genuinely open to talking about things, the more she asked. Illya would talk, but it got to subject he didn't like, or didn't want to talk, he imply ended the conversation. A habit that annoyed her sometimes. "I can't say I understood your people's intentions, or Illya's intentions, when I first landed on Quoti, but I wanted to. I'm still learning, and I feel like that's the only way to move forward in anything. I don't expect everyone to trust me, or blame them for if they never do. "

Letting out a long sigh she nodded her head. "The war changed many things. I used to travel as a diplomat in the years before. There is no excuse for what some of the Chip's have become, but it doesn't mean that I don't love my people any less." Her eyebrows raised a little with a hint of humor. "Kalizda, I think you have already earned more trust and respect than you give yourself credit for."

Learning Yvonne was a diplomat both surprised Calysta and yet when she thought about it, it made sense. The woman spoke near flawless traders- tongue, and carried herself with a quiet poise, and an underlying humor, both of which were important in dealing with diplomatic issues. She also seemed to understand that there were wrongs from both sides. Nobody was entirely right, but she had made the best decisions she could in the circumstances, just like Calysta was doing now. She smiled a bit shyly at the woman and gave a nod. "I understand. And perhaps, I have but I'll keep learning too."

****

They landed on Platform 9 of Mua'ahi and a warm afternoon sun greeted them when she opened the hatch. The entire planet was covered in one deep sapphire ocean, dotted with little white caps from the waves. She found it stunning and it was a much needed change from their previous wintery port. No jacket required here.

Illya was less than thrilled about their stop once he realized the entire planet was one giant body of water. He decided he'd rather stay on the Ekram, at the first glance out the window. Not that she didn't blame him, given he swam about as well as a cinder block, and his was still moving stiffly from his time in the cold. She nodded in understanding and went to open the hatch. " I can deal with the business. Stay and rest."

It wasn't until she stepped out onto the gang-plank that Ayrn stepped out beside her. She glanced at the Terran, and it was obvious he had just woken up. He was looking at her with an easy smile and his eye patch slightly crooked over his face. "If you need some help, I can go with. It'd be nice to get off the ship for awhile."

Her eyes narrowed. He'd been fairly quiet as of late, but whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she wasn't sure. Maybe he could be useful and help carry some replacement medical supplies back?

"Fine. C'mon."


****

The sun was starting to set when they finished checking over the ship and running errands. Ayrn was tired from a combination of very little sleep due to the overcrowded bunk room and Calysta's constant running. Did the woman ever slow down and take it easy? She'd had a rough couple of days, with the kid's accident, which had clearly upset her. She'd left her room all puffy eyed a time or two the night it all went down, but he had just wanted to stay out of the way. There was nothing he could do about it, and he was smart enough to know when not to bother a woman when she got upset. If he was honest, he really didn't get why she was going through all of this for some people she didn't know. The Captain wasn't getting much out of it, unless it was because of her co-pilot. Then again, he didn't get much about her at all.

Calysta usually walked a few paces ahead of him, but suddenly she paused at a stall where a silver scaled Mua',was offering samples for their shop. There were bottles of wine and liquor lining the table along side miniscule sample cups. The Mua' blinked at Calysta and waved her webbed hand over the samples, offering to pour up a taste.

The Captain hesitated and shook her head at the woman. "It looks good, but I shouldn't."

Ayrn said as he stepped up beside her and pointed to one of the bottles filled with an amber colored liquor. "I'll try."

Calysta rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored her as the woman poured a sample and handed it to him. He knocked it back in one go, smacking his tongue at the burning after taste. The whiskey he'd picked was strangely smooth. Definitely a synthetic blend. "Smooth stuff. You should try it Calysta."

She tucked her hair behind her ear and she shot him an annoyed look.

"Live a little, its just for tasting."

The Mua' poured her up a small sample cup of the same and offered it to her expectantly. She hadn't had a real drink in over a year, since her Skycorp Tour had begun, and she wasn't one for heavy drinking. A taste wouldn't hurt though. Plus, it would satisfy Ayrn long enough to get back to the ship. She took up the shot cup and knocked it back with a toss of her head. The liquid burned down her throat, but had a good flavor on the back of her tongue.

"That was actually pretty good, what was it?" she asked, licking her lips.

"A synthetic whisky blend, one of our best."

Calysta's eyes grew wide and she strode away from the counter. She needed to go back to the ship. Now.

Ayrn gave the shocked Mua' a quick thanks for her time and dashed after the Captain. She was walking so fast, he was having trouble keeping sight of her in the crowd.

"Calysta!?"

Top of her head bobbed and weaved through the streets until she took a quick corner out of sight. Grumbling, he took off after. She was determined to make him even more tired than he already was. Where the hell was she going? He turned around the corner, and caught sight of her heading across the busy street looking wobbly. She weaved in and out of the foot traffic and he watched, somewhat impressed she managed to side step three carts, before she stumbled into a fourth.

Then she clung to the railing of a staircase that lead down to the lower level. "Calysta!"
Either she couldn't hear hear him over the noise or she was ignoring him, because she kept right on going. Ayrn took off across the street to follow her, and dropped down the stairs by twos. A nice, Mua made beach waited for him at the end of the stairs, with white sands, blue waters and several lovely Mua women in bikini's walking along the surf. But no Calysta.

"Excuse me ladies," he said, throwing on his a grin, "I'm looking for a woman."

The two looked at each other and then to him with arched brows. "You're in the wrong part of the Platform for that," one of them scoffed, "We're not for hire."

He nearly slapped himself in the forehead. Any other time, he might have a try at talking with them but he needed to find Calysta. "Ahg. No, I'm looking for a woman with with black hair? Thin, nice eyes?"

The two did not look amused. "You should leave before someone calls the patrol."

Ayrn tossed his hands at them. Some help they were. He kept going down the beach until he spied Calysta stumbling along in the sand. Two Mua patrol men were walking up to her as she swayed on her feet. With a sigh, he took off running to intercept her first. "Calysta!"
At the sound of her name, she turned, her head whipping around awkwardly and rather than looking sick, she had a strange smile on her face.

"Oh-hic-Hi, Ayrn," she smiled, "Forgot you were-hic- behind me. You an' that one eye."

He stared at her in disbelief. "I think you're drunk."

"An' I think-hic- you're right," she laughed, "Synthe-hictics."

Ayrn ran his hands through his hair. How was he going to sober her up? He couldn't take her back to the ship like...that. She couldn't fly a paper airplane much less their ship right now.

"You know this a private resort beach right?"

The two patrol men had stopped in front of them, looking stern while Calysta began to lean far too far to the left. He grabbed her arm and centered her back as squinted up to the patrol men. "We didn't but we were just on our way out, sir."

"Uhuh, well its a 5 credit fee to use the beach."

The patrol man started writing out a ticket and explained it all out in a slow drawl. Ayrn rolled his eyes, half listening, as the Mua pulled the paper off the ticket pad and handed it to him. Sighing in relief, he turned to take Calysta by the arm. "Lets go-" Except for the spot where she stood was empty.

He wheeled around, his brown eye searching for any sign of her. There were footprints in the sand that trailed back to the stairs. He followed them and combed over the streets but found nothing. Maybe she had already made it back to the ship? How was he going to explain this? He'd just lost their Captain? Yeah that'd go over great with Illyuck.

Sighing, he went back to the ship to find Illya sitting on the ramp with an odd look on his face. "You haven't seen Calysta have you?"

*****

Calysta felt strangely giddy as she wandered through the streets and down to the beach. It was a nice day, but she really needed to get back to the ship. She couldn't remember the exact reason why though. Sand shifted under her feet as she vaguely recalled she had drank something funny. Someone called her name and she turned to see Ayrn. He said something to her and she answered, but her teeth had gone a little numb. Had the words really come out? Maybe. He started talking again. He was always talking and talking, but always about nothing. Boring. But thankfully it wasn't to her this time.

She let him talk and wobbled her way down the beach finding the stairs. They blurred in an out of her vision like a fun house mirror and she laughed some at how strange they looked. At the top of the stairs she swayed, into the streets. Which way was the ship again? Everything looked the same on this platform. Illya wouldn't have liked it at all. A few of the fish-people gave her a weird look as she walked by their stand which was full of some sort pies . The kids would like that maybe. She smiled at the vendor and dug around in her pocket till she found a paper and tossed it on the counter. With a nod, she picked up her pie and kept going down the street. "Thanks!'

Illya was sitting out on the ramp when she came up to the Ekram and she was relieved to see him. The pie felt awful heavy in her hands. She passed it off to him. " Hope Chips like pie" she said, cheerily with her numbed teeth. He gave her a funny look as if she had spoken a foreign language. Had that come out right? Well, it was pie either way. He could figure out what to do with it well enough on his own.

She shuffled past him and back to her room. Her limbs felt a little heavier than before as she flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes. Just a small nap and she would get up to fly.
 
It was somewhat of a relief for Illya to be able to avoid helping to land the ship. He was just starting to feel half way decent though it still hurt. Besides that he highly doubted that his mother would be letting him go. She would likely go straight to Kalizda and tell her that he was bed ridden for another day if he tried to get up and help. At least he had avoided any extra attention and that was good. Extra attention so far as folk asking him if he was ok. For the most part the children had managed to keep to themselves. There was a slight jolt as the ship landed.

Illya groaned in his bed. Landing was entirely different in a bunk and he hated to admit that his head still felt like it was going to explode whenever he moved. Getting outside sounded good, just as long as it wasn't cold. Gingerly making his way off the bunk he kept a blanket wrapped around himself and limped to the nearest window. Taking a quick peek he lifted one lip and growled a little. As long as it wasn't cold, or a planet that was just one massive body of water. He didn't want to go outside now, at least not anywhere near the water. Almost painfully he shuffled back to his bunk and stared at the bed. It was high enough he had to use the ladder and he didn't feel like climbing it. Instead the man sat on the bunk below his and listened to the kids.

In the hallway one of the children whispered and the others started to giggle. Almost immediately there was a flurry of little feet stampeding. All of the kids piled into the room shaking their little strings and the cat charged in after them and then puffed up and ran off. From his place on the bed he could hear the whole game taking place and most of the adult Chips had gathered in the kitchen to talk so they offered limited supervision to the kids.

All the children piled out of the room into the hall again and they called for the cat that had run off. "Keysha?" Rounding one of the corners they shook their little strings. "Keysha?" A cat was an exciting pet because they were often lively and they didn't understand why she ran away. Sitting in the shadows the cat wiggled with the anticipation of its attack on the huddle of children. As they began to turn away Keysha leapt out at them and batted furiously at the blur of tiny brown legs. Ear piercing screams of thrill and surprise nearly rattled the ship as the kids took off through the ship again. By the time they reached the bunk room with their screams Illya was driven to the point of preferring the outdoors. His head throbbed with their shrill cries of joy.

Limping out the door of the bunk room Illya barely made it into the hallway and he could hear the kids coming again. Hobbling along a little faster even he had to grin. Here he was acting like an old man and limping along as fast as he could for fear one of the kids would run into him. It seemed the easiest place to be was the sitting on the loading bay plank. Technically he was still on, or in the ship and that was a minor comfort.

He'd barely made his way out there and a weaving form started for the ship. Squinting a little he tried to determine if it really was Kalizda, or not. He'd never seen her so drunk. Was that how she handled stressful situations like death? Surely wasn't her best move. Drinking it away didn't really work. Taking the pie from her, he just nodded. "Ok." She was so drunk and he couldn't even smell it on her. Looking down at the pie he shook his head. He could eat the whole thing, but pies were somewhat of a novelty and it was doubtful any of the kids had eaten one. "Hey." Yelling in Qouti he called for the kids. "All you come get this and be sure to share it."

The gaggle of children began to tumble out the door and they snatched the pie away and sat down inside the ship to take little bits of the sweet fruit out with their brown little fingers. Despite their best attempts to keep clean the youngest ones still managed to smear some of the sweet fruit over their little faces and under their noses. Illya stared at the bridge for a couple of moments before he decided that it really did look wide enough that he wouldn't fall over the edge if he decided to randomly fall over. Still holding the blanket around his shoulder the Chip teetered across the bridge to the island. He breathed a little easier now that he was on the land.

Wandering into the market he decided to take a little look at a few of the stalls to see what they were selling. When Kalizda came back to the market to do the shopping and she was sober he could help her pick out a few things. He figured there was plenty of time and he went to a local pub with a few cents to play some games. It wasn't hard to pick out a group that didn't know their math and that meant it would make for a few easy wins.

By the time Illya walked out of the pub it was dusk. He looked toward the dock where the ship should be. Instead it was empty. Frowning a little he limped along the beach to make sure they didn't change docks for some reason. Looked like they were gone. It was probably a matter of time before they figured out he wasn't on board. Since he was here alone Illya wandered the port aimlessly. There wasn't any reason to look like he had something to do, because he didn't. He'd started to wander through streets and he managed to limp up a stairway when an officer stopped him. "This is a pay only beach. Its open for night hours." The officer was annoyed with finding so many strangers that didn't seem to know the rules.

A young woman walked up along side Illya and she looked him up and down before she smiled. "Oh, he's with me."

"A..." Before Illya could protest the woman had paid the officer and she grabbed him by the blanket. Stumbling along he tried to keep up with the blanket since it was at the time firmly grasped in his hand and he wasn't about to abandon it with night coming on. When the two of them reached the beach front he carefully sat down a decent distance from the woman who seemed determined to sit close to him.

"You're new. I haven't seen you here before." Running her finned hand over his blanketed shoulder she leaned in a little closer. "Not often we see one that is tanned like this when they step off the ships." Moving a little closer she grinned. "I noticed the limp. Here on a medical furlough?" Sometimes flyers would come to the beaches and she always liked the ones on medical furlough. They were typically a little nicer. "I could give you a massage. Maybe help you relax a little more." Plucking at the blanket she began rubbing with one finned hand on the backs of his shoulders.

Illya held the blanket a little tighter. "I need to keep this on." Clearing his throat he adjusted it to be a little tighter.

The woman smiled. He was a shy one. "Oh well that's alright. I'll just let you get a little rest." She could tell he was tired and it was going to be anytime that he fell asleep. Slightly disappointing, but he would probably feel more lively in the morning.

It wasn't long before Illya started to get tired. He laid down in the sand. In a way it was soothing to have the grains pressed to his skin. Almost felt like home, only the night here was a little more moderate. Within a few minutes of laying down he fell asleep and was oblivious to the fact that his hostess had begun to gently rub his back through the blanket.
 
The dull throb in Calsyta's temples woke her and she rolled over, feeling stiff as her eyes cracked open. She was in her room. How had she gotten there? A blurred orange object came into focus slowly as she sat up and immediately felt queasy. She flung her hand over the side of bed and snatched up the waste basket in the corner and shoved her head into it, vomiting up yellow bile. Heaving a few times, her stomach finally emptied and she laid back feeling in disgusting. The vague memory of having drank something that burned flashed through her head. It must have been laboratory made. The process that made the alcohol through synthetic sugars rather than natural ones had a terrible effect on Kaereleans. Something in their system couldn't handle the fake chemicals and it had a tendency to hit them hard and fast. Calysta may have been half-blooded but that was one Kaerelean trait she had picked up from her mother.

She laid there until the nausea felt like it had passed, then attempted to sit up again. "Uhg." Then spins rolled over her head, but she made herself stand anyways, planting her feet firmly on the floor. Checking the time, she realized she had been out cold for nearly eight hours. "Shit."

The walk to the bathroom felt much longer than it was and the florescent light overhead made her head pound all the more. She bumped her way into the bathroom and closed the door, finding the handle to be sticky. Groaning, she stripped down and showered, stopping mid-scrub to open the glass door and wretch one last time into the toilet. Hopefully, nobody heard or saw her come into the ship in such a state.

When she was dressed and had swallowed two pain killers along with a tall glass of water, she went in search of Illya. No doubt she would have some explaining to do and probably an apology to make if he had seen her. Instead, she bumped into Ayrn as he was coming out of the bunk room. His chest hit her shoulder and she threw her hands out to keep from falling.

"Whoa!"

His shout rang in her ears and as she winced from the sharp pains it caused. The one-eyed man was looking at her with a mix of concern, and amusement. "So sleeping beauty, awakens. How're you feeling?"

She shot him a sharp look, rubbing her temple, and Ayrn held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Bad question."

Calysta knew they would have to be getting underway soon but she figured Illya may still not be feeling well. He had still been moving roughly yesterday morning. The pre-flight checks were easy enough for Ayrn to do, so bone-sore Chip wouldn't have to. "Help me with the pre-flight checks, and we'll get going."

Aryn shook his head. "That's going to be a little hard to do without your co-pilot."

"What do you mean?"

"Illya's been gone all night."

***
Calysta took Ayrn out to search for the wayward Chippeqouti. How much trouble could have gotten into here? She thought of how he wasn't feeling well, and how terribly he swam. What if he had fallen into the water? Or maybe someone recognized him as a Chip? Other possibilities raced through her mind as they started combing over the lower levels. After an hour of searching through the several beaches, her head was starting to pound again from squinting the sun so long and a panic was starting to rise. What if they couldn't find him?

She started walking toward the stair case in the distance when her eye caught a familiar sight. A broad-shouldered form, wrapped in a grey blanket was curled up on the ground. "Illya!"

Her boots kicked up sand as she ran over to him. Was he just asleep? Hurt? When she made it over to him, she found that he was rolled in a blanket with sand his hair and snoring soundly...next to two other women. Her fists clenched as she watched the man, snoozing away with one woman tucked at his back, and another laying close to his front. Both with long flowing hair and wearing tiny bathing suits netted by a thin sarong.

She'd been worried about him this whole time and he was have soirees on the beach? Not to mention the entire conversation from the other day was echoing in her head. Not ready? Apparently he had been ready for something. Her anger flared and she tapped the toe of her boot against the bottom of his with enough force to jolt him awake. As his shoulders jumped, his company began to stir along side him. The one behind him slipped a hand between his shoulder blades, rubbing his back gently, before she realized Calsyta was standing over them. The sight made her even angrier.

Illya's green eyes cracked up open at the woman's touch and he looked up at her in a bit of confusion.

"Comfortable?" Calysta hissed, as she crossed her arms.

He seemed too groggy from his night to say anything for a few seconds, but she didn't let up. "When you're done with these two, I'll be back at the ship doing pre- flights."

With one last look at them, she turned on her heels and marched toward the stairs as the breeze from the ocean tangled her short hair.

****

Ayrn ran up the beach, as he saw Calysta stomping up the stairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked angry again. Maybe she found Illya? His eye traveled further down the beach where he say the co-pilot sitting up slowly, dusting off he shirt. Another head popped up along side him and he realized it was a woman. A beautiful Mua woman with long blonde hair and a ample set of...everything...sitting in a blue bikini. His mouth fell when yet another woman appeared along his other side. A tan brunette with elegant curves stood beside him and offered her hand. The co-pilot stood slowly and talked to the two women for a moment, before lumbering off toward the stairs.

How he done it? Not one but two in one night? He'd love to have spent the night with just one of those little beauties. He had to know what the secret was. There would be no chance to get any sort of action around this guy without it. He'd even be willing to trade for it. Jogging up to Illya, he grinned a knowing smile. "Looks like you had a better night than I did. How d' you do it, man?"
 
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Once Illya fell asleep it was almost impossible to wake up. The sleep started to get deeper and his breathing got slower and gradually his heart became slower too. It was easier to sleep with the sun coming out and he shifted only a little. His blanket was warm from the body heat all night and the sun began to heat the blanket even more making the Chip even more comfortable. That was until a sharp pain shot through his leg. Frowning in his sleep he started to stir and then he felt that little hand on his back. Turning onto his back he squinted his eyes at Kalizda. She looked angry and he figured it was safe to assume she was the one that kicked him in the foot. Probably wasn't quite vicious, but it felt that way.

Suddenly he felt very awake when she started to speak again. Two women! He hardly remembered the first one. Just went to sleep on the beach cause they flew off or something. Couldn't find the ship after he left and it was getting dark so he wandered around looking for someplace to stay for the night. His intention had not been to find himself sleeping with a woman on either side.

Already Kalizda was whipping past and she walked as quickly as she could to get away. Illya sat up with a groan. As well as he'd rested he didn't feel that great. The first time he'd been in the cold he was just cold and miserable for a few days. This time he'd been outside much longer and he was cold and miserable for a few days now and he wasn't feeling much better. He'd never had this happen before except for the time he stayed out all night in the desert at Quoti. Both the women on either side sat up as well. While he was busy trying to work his way out of the blanket one of the women got to her feet and offered him a hand. Illya just stared at her hand for a moment and then shook his head.

Cautiously Illya got to his feet and he tested the weight on his leg. "I've got to go now. Be careful about picking up strangers eh?" While he wasn't all that thrilled with the way things turned out he knew the first one was his fault because he didn't feel like arguing with the woman and the second had no idea. Since he'd had a good nights rest Illya decided to head back to the ship and let things be. Kalizda was going to think what she wanted and maybe this looked bad, but she knew him better than this. Maybe, it seemed that women outside of Quoti were strange and they loved to flaunt themselves. Some good sleep still should have helped improve the overall condition that he felt to be in. It certainly didn't feel like he'd improved and he winced a little with each step. Ayrn wasn't helping matters. Of course the dunce thought he'd slept with the women. "I didn't do anything." That statement only earned an expression that seemed to say he didn't sound believable. Sighing the Chip went on. "Maybe they like how I look. Must be nicer to look at then you."

No matter how he stated it Ayrn didn't want to settle for anything less than the 'secret'. Illya growled. "There's no secret. I don't want anything from dem! Women just...I don't know." There was no way to explain how it happened and it was usually at times when he really didn't want to be accompanied by anyone. It was even more frustrating to find that he'd somehow got himself turned around when he was in the town and simply looked at the wrong side of the island for their ship. Of course he wasn't going to see it. In broad daylight it was obvious and slightly embarrassing.

Stumping along into the ship he silently went to his bunk and crawled right back into bed. He'd barely laid down when his mother came in and she stood on the edge of the bed below him so that she could peer down into his face. "Hold still." The woman put her wrist on his forehead and she rolled her eyes. "Your gonna stay in here till that fever goes down. I'll get some herbs to make you a tea."

Bustling into the kitchen Yvonne almost irritably began to dig through the canisters on board. There was enough to add the dragon's flame weed to the mixture and that usually helped keep fevers to a minimum. While she was making the tea she felt the ship lift off the ground and she put a cautionary hand out to keep her balance. Things leveled out again and she finished making the tea and took it to the bunk room. When she returned to the kitchen and began to prepare a breakfast she saw Kalizda come in. The woman didn't look like she felt to well herself. "Would you like a tea to settle your stomach?" It wasn't so difficult to deduct what happened yesterday when she saw the woman stumble into her cabin like a weaving drunk.

Opening some of the other canisters she made another little bag of the herbs and slid the cup to Kalizda before taking a seat at the table across from the little woman. "Cold tea will work better for you right now." Usually the herbs didn't taste quite as potent in a cool liquid. "Illya will not be getting out of bed for a few days. He's sick. Came back with a fever this morning and his bones still hurt." Sighing she looked at Kalizda. "I'm sorry. He cannot operate as your co-pilot for now." It was difficult to know how much Kalizda knew about her son so she gave a brief version. "In the war he was nearly killed. The Ehaui took him to one of their medical outposts because he was beyond our ability to help. They said it would be several surgeries to repair the bones. Ehaui doctors had to put metal rods into his bones in his leg and several plates and screws in his arm. It saved his leg and his arm, but they had to evacuate all patients and abandon the outpost only a few weeks later. His bones are weak on that side. The cold is painful because of that, but it also causes some irritation to the bones and he doesn't have as much marrow as he needs on that side. Those rods are still in his bones and it makes him sick."

Hopefully the captain would forgive her son's absence of duty with the explanation. Perhaps the Ehaui if they were freed would be willing to complete the treatment and then her son could be well again. She hated to see him sick so often. While the rods, plates and screws were necessary to save his life and limbs they were not meant to be permanent. "If you still need help I will learn or one of the others in his place. We are eager to learn anything that you will teach us."

While the captain gave her answer Yvonne nodded carefully and she smiled. "We will do our best." Getting back up from her seat at the table she began to pour the porridge grain into a giant kettle. "This morning we eat simple for your stomach." Glancing over her shoulder she caught Kalizda's gaze. "Is there something wrong? Do you still feel ill?"
 
Calysta entered the kitchen in search of water to beat down the burning nausea in her throat and found Yvonne in the kitchen. The woman offered her a cold tea, which she gratefully accepted as she sat down and listened to her explain about Illya. His mother almost sounded apologetic about his absence. "I can teach anyone who wants to learn."

She knew that Illya had been severely injured in the war. He had told her as much when she asked about the scars on his right side, but she had no idea that he'd been practically reconstructed. No wonder he had been in such pain in the cold. Suddenly her anger seemed a bit frivolous. Sure he'd made her worry, and finding him like that was...annoying...but she knew he wasn't the sort to go seeking company like that. It was just another one of those happenstances the Chip blood seemed to attract. In the larger scheme, he was dealing with more than she was, and it simply didn't matter how or why it had happened.

Calysta sighed, and his mother caught her gaze. "Is something wrong? Do you still feel ill."

She took a sip of her tea and shook her head, mustering a half smile. "No, not at all."

****

Ayrn flopped back on his bunk and folded his arms behind his head feeling tired. He had only just escaped from the chores of the day given by Calysta and now he was free to relax for a bit with an empty bunk room. Except for the grumpy co-pilot laid out on his own bunk. He'd been stuck there all day sleeping, after they had taken off because he was sick, or something like that. Serves him for sleeping on a beach with to women. The man had acted like he didn't know what Ayrn was talking about. Claiming there was no trick to his luck with women. He was just being stingy about it of course. Maybe he could get him to talk about it another way?

Clearing his throat, he took a glance at the other man. "Getting bored yet? " he asked, trying to joke.
Rolling his eyes Illya continued staring at the ceiling. Ayrn was seriously going to try and strike up a conversation. It was doubtful he even had anything meaningful to say, much less interesting. "Perhaps." Grumbling a little he gave his grudging answer and hoped that there wasn't anymore following questions or comments from the other.

"That makes one of us at least," he huffed, "That captain of yours has kept me running all day. I don't know how you were keeping up, honestly."

Illya sat up and he peered over the edge of his bunk at the other. "Yah came all da way in here to complain about a few chores? Its not even dinner and yah're done. In my opinion she didn't give yah enough to do."

Ayrn sighed and gave Illya a casual shrug. He was fairly sure he could out run the man in his current state if he needed to. "Just saying you work hard, is all, and at least the captain seems to like you. How did you manage that? I can't seem to do anything right."

When the other started off with a compliment Illya relaxed some. He was thinking about laying back in his bunk and then came that sneaky little question. Instinctively he bristled at the thought. "I work hard. Women want a man that can work hard and provide protection. Yah just a lazy arse."

Ayrn bristled a little and sat up some. He didn't care for being called lazy, but neither could he deny it. He had ridden the roads of apathy for a good long while and saw no reason to change course. "So, that's the secret then? Hard work, huh?"

Momentarily a grin came to Illya's face. He loved to see that look of grave concern on Ayrn's face. It almost looked like he was afraid he would perish if he tried to work hard. "Yah just work hard and thhe captain likes yah better. She still won't want yah though."

"Heh, we'll see. We both know the chase is half the fun, and women change their minds pretty quick," Ayrn replied, sounding confident.

The confidence was almost embarrassing. If he wasn't he should have been. Illya couldn't beleive how this Terran thought so highly of himself. Blinking a few times Illya laid back in his bed and he gave a hearty, deep laugh. "Aye, I thhink yah might be surprised to discover she still won't want yah."

The man sounded like he was challenging Ayrn with that dumb laugh and it irked him. "Yeah, well we'll see. You keep pissing her off, only to reel her back in again with whatever it is you do. Maybe she'll get tired and just want something else, huh? "

"Like yah dick?" Illya sat up in his bed and laughed again.

Ayrn glanced up at the top bunk where the co-pilot sat laughing at him. The sound was more irritating than the bustling corridor outside. He sat up from the bed and raised a brow at Illya. "If she wants a good time, I'm down to deliver. She'd probably need it after traveling weeks with you."

Rolling his eyes he chuckled again. "She don't want that. She wants a man that works hard eh."

Ayrn gave a snort at Illya and pushed off his bed, heading for the door. He'd never had any trouble with women before. Not like this at least. What woman didn't want a good time? Still, there was the fact that the co-pilot had far more success with the Captain than he had. His usual charms didn't work on her. Maybe he would put Illya's theory to the test and see exactly how far he could get with her.

****

The children had played most of the day, zipping in and out between Calysta's feet and giggling in rampant games of tag down the corridor. Those paused when the eldest boy and a girl collided together, their foreheads bouncing off one another with a terrible cracking sound. The girl cried and so did the boy, but mostly due to wounded pride. They were both up running around again within a half hour and didn't stop until it was time for dinner.

The older Chippeqouti cleaned and also taken time out to learn more about the ship. She started them out in the cockpit, and where her traders-tongue was confusing or failed entirely, Yvonne helped to translate. She had been one of the most interested in learning about the ship, which didn't surprise Calysta given the woman used to travel as a dignitary. They had talked back and forth some, and Calysta found her to be as enjoyable and quick witted company as her son, though perhaps a little more shy. She had also been open to teaching more Quoti, helping her practice basic words and even some small phrases. Her accent was terrible, earning a few cringes and more than a few laughs, but she took them in stride and chuckled along.

When dinner time rolled around, Yvonne started to take Illya his plate of beans and cheese, but Calysta offered to take it instead. "I'll do it, stay and fix your plate."

His mother obliged with a gentle smile and handed her the tray, ready for her co-pilot. She since his mother had been watching out for him, she had mostly left Illya to rest. They hadn't really spoken at all since the beach, and it bothered her that had been their last "conversation." The door to the bunk room was open and Illya was laying on his top bunk rolled on his left side toward the wall. Was he even awake?

"I brought you dinner, Illya," she said, "And...I also came to say. I-I'm sorry."

Calysta grimaced at the last two words, as they stuttered out in his odd language. She had practiced most of the afternoon, but the statement had still come out awkward. He didn't move at the sound his name however. Maybe he really was asleep and didn't hear her paltry attempt at Quoti. She put the tray on the beside table for him and gave one last look, her eyes traveling down his right side, before leaving the room.

****

Calysta, stepped out into the overcrowded docks with Ayrn at her heels. The stowaway seemed to be there constantly this morning and it was starting to wear on her. He'd cleaned out her chair, scrubbed the shower, and had managed to disrupt the kitchen by causing a small explosion of porridge in the microwave, trying to 'help'. He'd even offered to do her laundry, which she adamantly refused to let him do. The fact that he suddenly interested in pitching made her suspicious and she had no desire to let him anywhere near her underclothes.

The port they had landed in was packed with people and ships. Many of them were Terran, some were Zkree, Mua, even a few Kaerelean. A Braxion pod ship also sat far down the east side of the lane, which made Calysta hesitant to go out. Illya was still on bed rest, with orders from the highest authority and she didn't want any trouble with a ship load of civilians. The work still had to be done though, so she tucked her pistol in the waist band of her pants and went into town accompanied by Ayrn.

People milled in the streets, but there was something off about the place. It felt as though everyone was on edge as they bustled past each other. Calysta stepped into a parts shop to buy new Co2 filters for the Ekram. With so many people aboard it tended to make the filters burnout faster. The store owner was an older woman with her graying hair pinned tightly in a bun. "I just need two Co2's for a Zkreen star-class, please."

The woman looked her and Ayrn over, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You two come for the memorial? "

"No we're just passing through," Calysta replied, "What protest?"

The clerk gave her an incredulous look as she handed over the filters. "The memorial for the Terran colony. Hasn't been but three years since those damned bugs ransacked the place."

Calysta gripped the filters tightly in her hand as a shock of fear ran through. That explained all of the ships and how tense the place seemed.

"We've been in jumps for most of our travel," Calysta replied, quietly "Where is it happening?"

"Town Center two blocks over."

Calysta thanked the woman and they left the shop. Crowds were already starting to congregate, pooling into the streets, pushing past her and Ayrn as they stood there. This was something she needed to see, but this area was less than safe and the ship needed to be ready to go at any moment. Biting her lip and handed the filters to the Terran, who gave her a confused look. "Go back to the ship, and tell them to warm up the engines."

She didn't give him time to argue, before she slipped into the crowd.

***

An amplified voice sounded over the streets the deeper Calysta went into the mass of protesters. She pushed past them, until she worked her way close enough to the town square to see what was going on. A large stage had been haphazardly made in the center gazebo and a holographic display rolled an image of Cirrellants marching through streets, leaving fires in their wake. A man on the stage dressed in a suit, was pacing back and forth as he bellowed into the a headset.

"Three years ago today an unprovoked attack on the mining colony of Veyna 4 left us all in shock...not simply Terrans..."

The crowd murmured in a agreement at his words, but Calysta stayed quiet as the image changed to a blurry images of a fire-fight, then rows of wooden caskets. A woman was bent over one of the many, her shoulders shuddering against the sobs.

"Today we remember those who fought to protect the colony...and hope that they rest in peace. "

As the man finished speaking, there was a pause as the crowd began to shift and murmur. It was as good a time as any to make her exit back to the ship. There was much to think about and she had kept them waiting long enough over her curiosity. Calysta started making her way through the people, squeezing past a tall man, with his daughter on his shoulders. She caught the eyes of the little girl for a brief moment, they were an olive green and framed by long black lashes. The girl blinked and then she was gone.

Something hard slammed into Calysta's back, crushing the pistol into her spine. Her head snapped forward and her ears screeched from an earth-rending boom as she met the hard pavement on her side.
 
The dragon's flame weed had burned a little on the way down like it always did. It was mixed with some of the other herbs that usually helped to decrease the pressure and irritation in his bones. Illya rolled over on his left side and went to sleep. There was a considerable amount of sweating involved with drinking dragons flame weed, but it usually helped bring the fevers down. Even though he had been enjoying the 90 degree room it was starting to feel a little warm and he knew that was just because the tea would make him sweat out toxins that had built up around the metal in his bones.

It only took about half an hour for the pain to start fading. Yvonne stopped into the room and she rested her wrist on his forehead again. It felt like Illya was doing better and she could tell by his breathing that he was at least in less pain than he had been earlier. Most of her day was spent learning about the ship and how it worked with only small breaks to check on her son. Even if he was a grown man she couldn't help her mother's heart from aching when she knew that he was suffering.

When dinner time came she noted the obvious interest that Kalizda was showing in Illya and his well being. It was more than just a captain and co-pilot to the woman. That much was quite clear to the Chippeqouti woman. There wasn't anything she could say one way or another. Still she was concerned for both of them. Kalizda if she cared about him was doing her best and it wouldn't be good enough. The little woman wouldn't live very long and then Illya would be left alone again and Yvonne didn't want that for him. Then there was always the chance that Illya didn't care for Kalizda in that way and it would only serve to hurt the little woman that had already done so much to help them. Only time would tell what would come of this odd relationship that she saw simmering under the surface.

A sudden rumble and crack shook the ship slightly and Illya jolted awake. Almost instantly he began to scramble out of his bunk. There was something wrong. Still sweating he shoved his feet into his shoes and began weaving through the halls of the ship. "Kalizda we need to move."

Some of the older Chippeqouti had gathered the children into the cargo bay and held them in the open space of the bay for a while to be sure that they were safe. Yvonne came out from one of the rooms. "Kalizda isn't here. She is out in the city." Naturally she was a little concerned about the pilot considering they were dependent on her to get out of the planet as well and if there was bombing or other issues then the ship would need to be moved quickly.

While Illya knew how to fly the ship well enough on his own he wasn't going to tell anyone on the ship that. They still needed her as a guide and he couldn't know what she did. "I'm going to get her." Struggling toward the door of the ship he typed the code in and started into the mad fray of people. Many of them had started to go wild with fear and others were attacking anyone they thought looked like the one that might have done it. Thankfully with his limp Illya didn't look like a suspect. "Kalizda!" Yelling her name he started to shove his way through the crowds. "Kalizda!"

The closer he got the center the less people standing there were. Some were laying down and others were sitting up half stunned. A growing lake of blood filled the center of the street and it seemed to flow out. Anxiously he began to scan the area. She had to be here somewhere. A thick head of straight black hair caught his attention and he saw it was a woman laying face down with the tips of her hair soaking up the blood.

Momentarily Illya forgot about the pain in his leg and he ran over to her. Kneeling next to the body he quickly rolled her to her side and saw it wasn't Kalizda. This woman was still breathing though. Slipping an arm under her legs and keeping the other behind her shoulders Illya carried her to a safer place protected by a tree so that she wouldn't be trampled to death by the others that were still trying to madly flee the scene. Rushing back into the mess he yelled again. "Kalizda!" A faint cough sounded and he started to look for who it was that he heard. It still wasn't her.

Putting one hand out as if he was scanning the people along the way Illya looked at each one till he came to a hunched figure that was shakily getting off the ground. It looked like Kalizda and he grabbed her around the waist. "We need to go now. " Meeting her gaze he thought it looked like she was in some pain. "Are yah hurt?" His green eyes searched her face almost anxiously and then another blast shook the ground.

Instinctively he pulled Kalizda back to the ground and threw himself over top of her. "We have to keep moving, but stay low." He had no idea what was going on and all the people running around upright like that were going to get hit. It made a much easier target. Within a few seconds it occurred to him it was not an old fashioned bomb raid. This was something else and he started to get off the ground. "C'mon." This time there wasn't even a chance for Illya to pull her off the ground and Kalizda was already springing into action.
 
Her ears rang over the din of screams and fire as Calysta peeled open her eyes. Everything was fuzzy and the world looked up side down. No, sideways. Feet ran or stumbled past her on the pavement in a blurry haze. Nothing in her vision wanted to focus until a set of olive green eyes caught her attention. They stared at her unblinking from behind dark lashes. Calysta stared back into those green eyes as more screams and smoke filled the air. If she didn't move, she would be dead too.

Numbness from the shock had claimed her body, but she gritted her teeth and kicked off whatever had pinned her to the ground. Someone running from the square tripped over her, his boot hit her hard in the side. "Uhg!" He sailed over her and bounced against the ground before scrambling to his feet again in panic. She curled against the sharp pain and took a few deep breaths. Get up.

With shaking arms she pushed herself up and crawled to her feet as her eyes scanned the scene. Fires were burning everywhere, glowing hot orange through the growing haze of smoke. More victims milled around, ran, or lay on the ground moaning as blood was filled the streets. A man in a Terran uniform, a guard it seemed, was run away from the aftermath too. Taking a step forward, a sharp pain zipped down her back and side. No choice but to move though.

Suddenly someone grabbed her around the waist, causing more pain in her back. She spun, ready to struggle against them, but found a familiar set of bright green eyes searching over hers. "I'm-"

Another blast shredded through Calysta's ears as she found herself through to the ground again. Illya grimaced as he got up and Calsysta sprang to her feet. He was still sick and had come out her looking for her. They needed to get back to the ship and off the planet before something even worse happened. "Lets get back to the ship!" She sounded more confident than she felt.

Crouching next to Illya, weaved their way through the bloodied streets. People and rubble were strewn everywhere. The whole town square looked like the war zone holograms she'd seen before. Another Terran guard came barreling out of the alley way in beside them. He wasn't bothering to duck or look for cover, instead he gave them a quick glance before dashing off down the street. A second later another explosion rocked through the next street over. Two Terran guards running and two explosions was not a coincidence. "Illya, did you see that?!" Her voice sounded quiet in her own head over the sounds of the ringing. This wasn't caused by the Cirellants.

"STOP!"

The guard glanced back at her as he dodged down the next street, a path that would eventually take him towards the docks. The docks where the Ekram waited. Calysta ran after him as fast as her body would allow, but the Terran had too much of a head start and disappeared into the rows of ships. There could be another bomb hidden among the ships somewhere and the suspect had vanished. "Damnit!"

The sounds of gun fire pierced through the chaos in the town and a bullet tinged off the Terran ship behind them. She immediately ducked down alongside Illya behind the landing gear of another ship. More shots ricocheted, cracking in her throbbing ears. Leaning against the ship, she pulled out her pistol and made a peek around the corner. She could see the general direction where the fire was coming from behind the Braxion pod, but the actual shooter was too well covered. They couldn't sit there forever either. Gritting her teeth, she took another peek around the corner and fired off 2 rounds, her hands were shaking too much for great accuracy. She wasn't going to be able to kill him or even get them close to the Ekram without exposing them. They needed more cover.

Calysta ran her trembling hands through her hair, trying to think. Her eyes flicked upward, looking into the mechanics of the landing gear they were hiding behind. That was it. "Illya! See that hose up there?!" she shouted, "Rip it out!"
The Chip didn't hesitate, he reached up and with a grunt, yanked the hose out of its fitting as liquid glycerin steamed out, filling the air with cold fog immediately. Illya seemed to know instantly what to do as he grabbed her arm and helped her run toward the ship. The fog kept rolling but so did the enemy fire as several more rounds were sent out. A stinging sensation in her numbed arm told her that one had at least grazed her, but she didn't stop running even when they hit the gang plank of the Ekram.

The Chips moved out of their way and she practically shoved past Ayrn, before starting the launch sequence as Illya closed up the hatch. The Ekram was a good ship, but it seemed to move horribly slow out of the atmosphere this time. Everything was happening, yet it felt as if it wasn't. She knew it was just an effect from the explosion, but should couldn't seem to make time move at it proper speed. Blood was trickling down her forearm, gravel filled scratches covered the rest, and her entire back was throbbing. Her head dropped back to the headrest where she glanced to Illya worried about her co-pilot. He wasn't looking much better sitting his seat. His cheeks were red and he was looking at her with a furrowed brow. Whether it was from pain, or something else, she didn't know. Either way, she was grateful he'd come to find her. As the adrenaline began to wane, her eyes started to droop some, blurring his face and everything else in the cockpit.
 
While it seemed that Kalizda was still busily looking around the area Illya tried to usher her out of the way of danger. Suddenly a guard rushed passed in an erratic manner. It made Illya's blood boil. If you were there to protect people you were not supposed to run like a coward and create more hazard. Not to mention the fellow was armed and that made him more of a danger to himself and others than if he was just another civilian. Then another explosion and it all started to make sense. They were tearing at themselves from within and Kalizda yelled to him asking if he saw it.

If Illya could have put a hand over her mouth to prevent that from coming out so loudly he would have. Instead they were now on the run from the guard. Bullets whizzed past and he tried to figure out where they were coming from. In the event that all else failed he could make a run for them. Bullets may or may not stop him. Mostly it would depend on where they hit him. A simple flack jacket would have been enough to give him the confidence to charge in after the guards, but all his innards were exposed to possible gunshot and that was deadly for a Chip.

Kalizda was busy looking for an escape and then yelled for him to pull a hose out of a ship. It was pure luck that nobody shot him when he jumped up. As soon as the white smog began to fill the air he grabbed Kalizda and started running with her. "Keep moving." She was keeping pace, but not well. It felt like she was faltering almost every other step. Perhaps she was injured, or it was more likely that she couldn't keep up with him at a moving pace. There wasn't going to be enough cover from the hose in a few seconds and then they would be easy targets again. The closer to the two of them got to the ship the more the thin smog cleared. Both of them appeared as faint shadows and another desperate round of shots went off. Racing up the gang plank Illya stopped just inside to close the hatch. He watched as it slowly started to close. The hydraulic system wasn't fast enough. Running part way down the plank he grabbed the emergency rope and started to run back into the ship pulling it shut faster than the hydraulics could accomplish by themselves.

By the time he reached his co-pilot chair she was already giving orders for thrusters and a few other operations. Illya hadn't even a chance to sit. Sliding the thrust controls to the top he reached for the next control and flopped into the chair. His leg was throbbing and he winced some. In some ways it felt like forever and in other ways it was a blur what had happened. Usually he couldn't decide if time stopped or simply went on without him.

Turning in his chair he frowned and then caught sight of Kalizda. She was looking pale. If there was one thing he remembered about many of the other races from the war it was that they were far more delicate. Illya started to get out of his chair just as she closed her eyes. "C'mon." Grabbing her around the shoulders Illya picked her up and stumbled to her quarters Rolling a blanket up and bunching it behind her he made sure she stayed on her side. "I need Ed." The other Chippeqouti nodded and scuttled off down the hall as fast as they could in their old age.

Keeping the woman on her side was the best he could do for now besides ensure that she was breathing. Running one hand along her back all he found was a gun stuffed in the back of her pants. Pulling the gun out Illya set it aside and then ran his fingers firmly over her spine. There wasn't any immediate damage there that he could feel and so far all he saw was the hit to her arm. That was until he lifted her arm and saw that the bullet had dug into her chest. It wasn't deep since he could still see the bullet, but there was the frothy, foaming blood. Meant that they would be having fun draining her lung later on if it tried to collapse.

Edgar stepped into the room a few minutes later and he nodded to Illya, "Get Yvonne and you go back to bed." For now the Chip spoke in his own language. As soon as Yvonne appeared in the room he started to mutter to her and she left to get some herbs to make a cleansing mixture. It wasn't pleasant by any means, but it would prevent infections.
 
Calysta barely registered Illya lifting her up and hauling her to the captains quarters. She wanted to tell him, she was okay but that sharp pain starting to grow in her side told her that wasn't the case this time. As soon as the Chip put her down, he started checking her over. His hands pushed down on her spine which caused shoots of pain with every poke. She hissed and arched away from the touch. "Ow." He kept on, then moved to her arm. The pull of his hand made her side hurt even more and it dawned on her that the bullet wound was more than a graze like she'd thought. Great.

"Bad?"

If it was bad, she wanted to know, but the words come out a half whisper. Illya either didn't hear her, either because his ears were ringing from the blast like hers, or she simply hadn't been loud enough. He started talking in Quoti to the other Chips at the door. Their faces disappeared and were placed a few minutes later by Ed and then Yvonne's face. Illya was talking to them in his language the whole time which was a little frustrating, especially when he disappeared and his mother knelt by the bed.

Yvonne's violet eyes were calm and she was a bit gentler than Illya as she started snipping away at her shirt. The woman stayed quiet as she worked, and Calysta found herself feeling sleepy until a hand clamped over her waist. Gritting her teeth, she felt the bullet slipping around in the wound until it popped free. She could handle pain, but a little warning would have been nice.

Whatever she used to cleanse the hole was worse than the bullet removal. It burned like fire as it ate away her chances at infection. She just screwed her eyes shut and gripped at the side of the bed until Yvonne made her sit up some to seal the hole. Calysta realized the woman must have had some experience with these kinds of injuries, given the war and her son. She couldn't help but feel a little sad and little lucky at the fact.

"Exhale."

Calysta did as she was told and was treated to another round of pain as the woman wrapped her side, carefully sealing all but one tiny corner of the wound from the open air. Yvonne helped her lay back slowly on the bed one the process was done. She felt so tired, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Training told her it was a bad idea to sleep, but the pull was strong and thinking about everything could wait.

"Thanks," she mumbled, before closing her eyes.

****

Ayrn sat on his bunk thinking. He didn't understand why the captain had wanted to go to the memorial. Everyone one knew it was more of a political show than anything and he was perfectly fine staying as far away from that sort of drama. Nothing good ever happened in politics and it was easier just to not get involved.

After the explosions, it was obvious had been right and Calysta had been caught in the middle judging by how she had come back bleeding. At leas she had managed to get them into the air and away from whatever was happening in the port before Illya had carried her back to the room. The others were as stirred up as he was. Getting caught up in any sort of war was the absolute last thing he wanted. When Illya came back to the bunk room and climbed into the bed, it struck him as odd. Maybe her wound wasn't serious enough for him to worry, or maybe he didn't like the sight of blood? The guy was a clean freak after all.

Ayrn sat up on the side of his bunk and glanced up at Illya who was settling in. If the co-pilot wasn't going to say anything, would ask. "So, the captain's okay, I'm guessing?"

While Illya fluffed his pillow and straightened the blankets he heard a little ruffling behind himself and then the question. Crawling into his bed he peered at the other. "Probably." He couldn't say for sure, but she didn't look to be in too bad of shape so far.


"Good to know," Ayrn replied, as he laid back on his own bunk. Illya didn't seem all that concerned so, the was probably just a little shaken up. She had gotten lucky if that was all it was.

****

The next day the captain didn't come out of her room and Illya stayed in bed most of the time. That left him plenty of time to roam and do what he wanted. He laid in bed for a good long while, but eventually the kids, which were always left to run rampant through the ship, ran across him. First he saw a flash of fuzzy orange leap over him and then a thundering sound as he was tackled.

"He-uhg!" A heavy foot landed square between his legs and he yelped, curling up until the stampede was over. Who was in charge of these little runts anyways? The co-pilot seemed to think it was funny and was chuckling from his top bunk.

Ayrn crawled out of his bed, adjusting himself and shot the co-pilot a look before slipping off to the bathroom. The others had already left that nice and clean, so he took a shower, scrubbing down and washing off his eye patch too. Someone was pounding at the door for a minute, but they would just have to wait till he was done and unlocked the door. He washed his clothes while he toweled off and tossed the linen over the top of the shower head to dry. No use in washing that when he would just use it again tomorrow.

Clean and laundered, Ayrn wandered into the empty kitchen. He'd missed breakfast in favor of sleep, so he fixed himself a packet of bland oats. Eggs, bacon, and toast would have been far more appealing, than the crummy oats. Maybe he could find some at the next port, or Calysta knew how to make those too. He'd ask about it when she got up.

The oat packet was a pain to open, so he tore at it with his teeth and the flaky bits exploded everywhere. "Damnit." Dumping what was left in a bowl, he swept the scattered oats into the sink and the bits in the under the cats bowl so it was cleaned up. When the oatmeal was done heating up in the microwave, he took a bite and grimaced. Bland as ever. Surely there was something around here that would liven the taste up a bit? Illya was always using those herbs and spices for one thing or another. That would probably work and anything would be an improvement to the food at this point. He rummaged through the cabinet until he found some interesting looking canisters of spice. One was red, and the other looked like sugar, so he took a chance and dumped them into the bowl, giving it a quick stir.

One bite told him that whatever he picked was a mistake. Salty and hot. His mouth puckered and he tossed the bowl into the sink before grabbing a cup and filling it with water. He chugged down the water, trying to get the burn to settle down. So much for breakfast.

When his tongue had stopped burning, he set about the ship and headed to the cockpit. It was cleaned already too. There wasn't much to do now, so he went down the storage room and started organizing that out of boredom. Maybe the captain would notice that at least. He put away the stuff that had fallen off the shelves, and found the space suit tossed in the bottom of the locker. Ayrn had never been in one before and for good reason. A human's place was on the inside of the ship, not on the outside. Still his boredom got the better of him and he picked up the sleek helmet, shoving it on his head. It had clearly never been used, and still smelled brand new. The scent of the foam inside start to make his made his nose tickle. "A..a.choo!"

He tugged off the helmet and quickly wiped down glassy face cover with the polishing rag he'd found. Maybe Calysta wouldn't notice. Tossing the helmet back to the shelf with the rest of the suit, he wandered back to the kitchen and poked his head inside. A few of the tall passengers were inside at the stove and he grinned. "Anything I can help with?"
 
A little red light began flashing in the hall Illya could see the reflection on the door to the bunk room. With a groan he got out of the bed and then nudged Ayrn. "C'mon. We land." At least the Terran had learned not to complain when he was called on to help with the landing. That first time that Illya had gotten help from the man had been enough to strike the fear of leaving Illya to himself as a pilot.

As they came into the planet there was a little storm and some lightening. Thankfully there wasn't much damage done to the ship, but the lighting striking the tip of the wing did cause a momentary shudder in the ship and a glitch in the power, but the reserve generator kicked in. All Illya needed to do when they landed was flick the main switch for power and that would tell him if there was significant damage done to the main power supply or not. He was already familiar enough with the Ekram that Illya could almost fly and operate it by himself. When they made a mostly smooth landing he grinned at Ayrn. "Now da fun starts." In some ways his accent had gotten worse being surrounded by mostly Chippeqouti again and he couldn't seem to help the lapse.

Wandering into the engine room Illya flipped one of the panels open and scanned along the markings till he found the generator and flicked it off and then with his other hand flicked the main power. A little hum sounded and the lights began to flicker and then it all turned back on. It was all good as far as he could see for now. If it ran for a few hours and overnight then they would be fine. They were getting closer to the final destination and Illya was anxious in some ways to see this part of his job done. The next trip back to Quoti he didn't know what the elders would give him to do. He just knew that he would have to go back after he finished this task. Dusting his hands off on the front of his pants the Chip exited the engine room. Illya had almost forgot about all the money he won gambling the other night. Playing games with these people of Kalizda's was a lot of fun. They weren't very good at math and it made winning easy. Sadly there was a point when he got bored, or he sensed the others getting angry so he would have to leave.

Since the captain was out of condition to be caring for the crew and Chippeqouti, Illya took the responsibility for himself. He could make sure they had all the supplies needed and gamble with what was left to make a little more money. If he lost it nobody would be able to tell the difference anyway. It wasn't their money to lose. "I'll be back by nightfall eh?" Nodding to his mother he took a note with the needs that she and a few of the others had taken down inventory of. Illya had his own list and he looked it all over carefully.

By the time the fuel and supplies were purchased he didn't really have enough to start into any gambling so he would have to see if there were any games he could join that wouldn't cost anything, but offered a prize. Stepping into a pub he started to inquire and then he noticed a few of the men gave him odd looks so he shoved his hands in his pockets and started back out the door.

The further Illya went into the city the more questionable it started to look. Still, it wasn't fair to judge things by their appearances. Quoti was a perfect example of that. What used to be their homes were now completely unsafe and dangerous to live in. Instead they all lived in awkward little stone huts. Stepping into a small shack that stood near the edge of the woods Illya looked around at the men. "Got any games I could join? Don't have money, looking to make some." One or two of them rolled their eyes and then a curious looking little man with pale skin and redish tinted eyes beckoned to Illya.

Following the man out back Illya walked a ways with him into the woods where a group of people had gathered and a line of men were growing. "What's the price if I win?"

"600,000 credits and if you win the grand prize it could be more depending on how many folks stay for the game. Could win that..." Pointing to a large box the man shrugged. "You play or you pay to watch. Once you're here that's how it goes." At least if everyone paid they were considered guilty as the next and there wasn't room for a man to back out.

Illya shrugged. "Alright, I play." If they were that way about it Illya was determined to win and he figured that it must have been exclusive sort. Only time the Chippeqouti charged to watch was if it was an especially challenging game and if that was the case then Illya was pleased to find something that finally would be worth his time. Stepping into a ring with some of the other men he waited for the door to open. When it slid open he saw ahead of them a gauntlet. It wasn't too dissimilar from the agility game. A few sharp spikes would move and then a massive pendulum followed by a pattern of blocks and a single rope that crossed over a cavern. What was beyond that was difficult to see.

"On the other side there is a flag. First man to retrieve it and come back across is the winner. Get rich fast or get lost." The last phrase was the one that opened the games. Wasn't often they had a winner. Most of the men didn't come out of the forest.

The little bit of running Illya didn't figure would bother his leg too much. All he needed after this was to be careful with his steps and figure out the timing. When the laser beam faded the first few men took off and began to crowd into the chute that sent them toward the gauntlet. Illya stayed back, he could make up the time on the rope. Carefully he counted and figured the timing to be set at 4/16. It was a fast pace, but if you counted every step it would turn out alright and then since the rest of it was already timed it likely was the same pattern for the blocks. Every 4 blocks was what you had to hit and starting from the last step timed coming off the spikes. The tricky part was going to be on the return. Taking all the blocked steps in reverse and that would start him on an odd number instead of 1.

It turned out the game was a little more than that. One of the first men happened to misstep and he was thrust through with the spikes. That was going to make running the gauntlet a little more difficult. Illya glanced behind himself at those watching and they didn't seem to be surprised in the least. No wonder everyone had looked at him strange when he first asked about a game where he could make money without putting anything up front.

Apparently it was tough luck if you weren't good. Made it challenging. If there wasn't any risk it wouldn't be worth it and they had some equally risky games on Quoti for the soldiers that wanted to compete. When his turn came Illya started into a jog across the first section and he counted out loud the whole way. It was a fast pace if he was going to keep each step at a quarter of a second. The blocks ended on a 2 and that meant he would be starting at number 3 when he came on the return.

Charging ahead for the rope Illya decided to ignore the drop that was below it. At least he didn't have to do it like a tight rope. Some of the men were already across and one was starting now and he had his heels hooked around the edge of the rope. It was safe, but slow and Illya didn't have time to be stuck behind him. Neither was it fair to knock him off and get him killed. Instead the Chip got a grin on his face and he started running as fast as he could before launching from the ledge and jumping ahead of the one that was already on the rope. As he flew past the man on the rope Illya put his hands out and hooked his fingers slightly. Clenching his hands over the rope he felt the entire rope jerk with his weight and the other man yelled out in surprise as he dangled from the rope precariously. Illya threw him an irritated glance and then began to swing one hand over the other for the last of the stretch going across.

It wasn't till he reached the bog that he was a little worried. Illya couldn't swim and he could afford to get stuck in the mud either. His other option was to run around and that would take too long. If he could disperse his weight it could be another story, but the mud was too thick when he dipped a hand in to try the consistency. Instead he grabbed a large tree branch and broke it off to make a staff that should be tall enough to run to the bottom of the pit. It was obviously man made and he would have to haul himself through the mud using the stick.

Illya was panting with the effort of pulling himself through the mud when he reached the other side. Above himself he could see a mountain with loose rock and ice. On top of the mountain was a flag. The fastest man was only a quarter of the way up. If he ran he could catch up and then he'd have to keep running if he didn't want to get cold running to the top.

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

It was already dark by the time Illya started back down the mountain. Like usual it looked a lot closer than it actually was. Mountains made distance more difficult to determine. On the way down he could hear the rocks begin to slide. As the rumble started a giant beam came through the sky highlighting the mountain. Those watching the game stared at the screen as 3 men began to race down the mountain after Illya and a rock slide in hot pursuit.

Ahead there was a ledge of nearly 20 feet and Illya launched himself for it. The ledge would act as a break for the rocks and it would turn into a shower, but if he kept running he had a better chance of getting out of the way of the building avalanche. Hitting the other side of the ledge he rolled and then popped up to keep running. It had been a long time since Illya had run like this and he was starting to cough before he reached the bog. Chest heaving he stared at the bog for a long moment and then plowed into it with the aid of the stick. Coming out the other side of the bog he took a moment to catch his breath only to hear an ominous growl. Whipping around he found himself facing a massive bull with a sort of horn protruding from it's nose.

The ill tempered creature came charging threw a kick as a final resort as it passed Illya. The hoof clipped his leg and the Chip grunted as he started running for the rope. Thundering hooves behind him didn't seem to be giving him much time. Throwing himself to the ground he slid the last few feet toward the rope and grabbed the beginning of it and started across the rope. From this side of the cavern it was going to be an uphill climb. A soft rain started and the well used rope almost seemed to feel like it was greased.

Illya threw his legs over the rope and hooked it behind his knees while he worked his belt off and then pulled himself up with one hand so that he could latch the belt to the rope and underneath his arms. Now that he had a minimal source of protection he started to pull himself toward the finish line with a greater sense of confidence. When he reached the other side he threw his legs up on the ground and unlatched the belt from the rope. On his way to the gauntlet one more time he fixed the belt around his waist again. "3,4,1,2." Counting the steps on the blocks he nearly jumped from one to the next and then tripped on the arm of the first man to have died on the gauntlet. Pulling himself under the pendulum he laid still for a long moment. There wasn't time to get up and move without getting hit and neither could he scoot forward on his stomach because of the spikes.

There was more time on the edges, though that was far more dangerous. As the pendulum swung over him to the far side Illya rolled to the other side and waited for it to swing back to that side and over him. Jumping to his feet he started to run across the last bit of it slightly out of time. The Chippeqouti couldn't have been more grateful that he was muddy all the way to his chest from the bog. He made it through the flash fire without any damage. By the time he came out of the bog he was met with a strange sort of stare from one of the men that simply handed him the purse of money in exchange for the flag. One that judging by the looks on their faces he wasn't supposed to have succeeded in getting.

"Your final grand prize is this." Grudgingly the man slid open the box and revealed a young woman. "She's a virgin and a rare beauty with red hair."

Studying the woman for a minute Illya almost shook his head, but keeping a prisoner in a box like that wasn't even what a Chippeqouti would do. Rolling his eyes he beckoned for the girl. "Come here." When she shyly walked toward him she kept her eyes down and he started for the streets again. He was already late to be getting back to the ship.

Part way through the streets the girl quietly padded up behind the big man. Her bare feet slapped gently on the cobblestone street. "You have men watching. It would be best if we hurry. The last man to win died. It is why the purse is so big. Many desperate men play for the money and even if they win The Ring kills them and takes the purse to make the next game more enticing."

Illya looked at the girl. She seemed to be genuine and she had no reason to lie for them. "You know the city?" She shook her head and Illya cursed under his breath in Quoti before grabbing the girl by one hand and dodging into an alley way. He had a general idea where the ship was and he weaved through the streets till he came to the Ekram. From the looks of it all the supplies that he ordered had already been loaded and a few of the Chippeqouti stood inside the doorway watching for him. "We need to go now." Typing in the code on the doorway Illya was about ready to start pulling it closed for the emergency speed and take off when he saw Ayrn trailing behind and running like a mad man. "Hurry up!" Yelling to the Terran he held out one hand just outside the gang plank as it began to close. There was barely enough space to pull Ayrn into the ship and Illya frowned at him. "Where were you all this time? You almost got left."
 
Ayrn didn't question Illya when he nudged him awake to help land the ship. He was all too familiar with the co-pilots lack of finesse on landings and he wasn't about to die asleep. It did make him wonder why the captain wasn't the one putting them down into the port. Illya said she was fine, but maybe she just needed more time to rest. After what happened at the last port, he didn't blame her.

There was a storm high in the atmosphere over their destination. He could hear the wind and rain battering at the ship as his grip on the co-pilots chair turned to a vice. A lightening strike rattled the ship and he clenched his eyes shut until Illya barked at him to adjust the controls again. His fingers were never faster over this display. All he wanted was to make it to the ground in one piece.

When the landed, the co-pilot shot him a mischievous grin. "Now da fun starts."

The fun? The man was going out again apparently and that left him a good chance to see him in action. Illya probably wouldn't just let him tag along though, and he'd never get to see the real secret that way. Ayrn would simply follow him and see where the skirt-chasing co-pilot went. As he left, Ayrn followed behind a good ways, walking casually.

The first thing Illya did was buy more fuel and supplied near the dock, looking for the best price and taking forever to do so. While he waited and watched, Ayrn stayed far behind or on the next aisle over pretending to browse. There would no telling what the man would do if the thought he was spying. Then he followed him to a pub. Ayrn stayed outside the drinking house loitering at the corner of the opposite building to wait until the right time to slip in. It would be best to do it after the man had a few drinks of course.

To his surprise, Illya didn't stay long in the bar, shuffling out with his hands in his pockets. Ayrn gave a snort and shook his head as he watched from his leaning spot on the corner. Must not have been any women to his liking in there. Maybe the night would turn out to be dud for the co-pilot too. At least that would be a little satisfying, even if it was boring to watch.

Rather than turning back toward the ship, the man lumbered further into the port. Lifting from the warm brick wall at his back, Ayrn tracked him. The farther they went, the shabbier the area became. Ayrn could smell the distinct scent of herbs burning and the residents start becoming shady. Shifting around in the shadows with their bottles and whores. It had been awhile since he had delved into the seedier side of a port like this for something besides women, and even then he did have certain standards. It appeared the co-pilot might be getting desperate for some company.

When Illya went into the shack near the edge of the woods, Ayrn shook his head. The man was crazy for coming out this far to look for a woman. All he would find in there was shady deals, and the underbelly of the port trade. Three minutes later, the co-pilot emerged from the shack, lead by a pale guy with reddened eyes, and the two wandered into the woods. What was this her co-pilot getting into exactly? It was a terrinle idea to follow him, but if the man was into this kind of stuff, Calysta probably didn't know about it. It might make some good leverage if he needed.

Ayrn set off after them, keeping at least a dozen paces between himself and the backs of the two men as he flitted from shadow to shadow. He may not match the co-pilot in strength, but he doubted the bulky guy had enough stealth to follow a stampede much less two people in the quiet woods. Eventually, they came to a clearing where more men waited in a circle and Ayrn kept his distance, peering from behind one of the thick trees.

"600,000 credits and if you win the grand prize it could be more depending on how many folks stay for the game. Could win that...You play or you pay to watch. Once you're here that's how it goes."

So, Illya was into some illegal gaming. It didn't surprise him considering how touchy he had been about his clothes being frozen and a small but innocent enough browse through his bag. If it was pay to watch, the game masters would have men looking around for freeloaders who didn't pay. Ayrn didn't have any money, but he wasn't going to miss this either. Glancing up, he thought of an idea. People rarely ever looked up beyond their height and he was a pretty good climber. You had to be if you stowed away for most of your travels.

The lowest tree branch a good 8 feet from the ground, but it wasn't a problem. He stepped back a few feet, long enough to get a running start, and ran up the trunk, wrapping his arm around the branch. Once he got a firm grasp, he pulled himself up to the first branch, then started climbing further until he had a somewhat good view to watch the show. At least he would get to see some action, and had learned one of Illya's secrets even if it wasn't the one he'd set out to discover.

****
Ayrn had leaned against the tree trunk and fallen asleep on his perch. Yelling from the crowd below jarred him awake and he nearly flipped off the branch to a good fifteen foot drop below. Grabbing at the branch, he steadied himself, and squinted into the darkness to see who was coming through the tunnel. Of course it was Illya.

Rolling his eye, he watched as the game master handed over the purse and a mysterious prize box. It was probably some rare animal inside. Another creature to add to the vicious cat already aboard the ship. Lovely.

When the box lid was opened, Aryn's mouth fell open too. A pale, beautiful red head with curves in every single place a man could hope for appeared in nothing but the smallest of clothes. The co-pilot won a woman!? Not just any woman but one of the most beautiful he'd ever seen. Ayrn sputtered openly in disbelief as he rubbed at his eye. What was he going to do with her? Just take her back to the ship? The ship was already overcrowded as it was and Calysta.....Calysta...

A grin spread over his face and as he started to slip down from the tree. Calysta was going to kill him when she saw the busty red-head her co-pilot now owned.

*****
Calsyta made her way into the corridor slowly and started toward the cockpit. She felt awful still but she didn't have the luxury of laying around with a ship full of people to tend to. They were getting close go Kaerelean territory and she would need to be at the helm to guide them through. She hadn't seen Illya for a day or so, and that was probably because he still wasn't feeling well. On her way to the front, she poked her head into the bunk room to see how he was feeling. Opening the door, she found Illya standing by the ladder of his bunk and someone entirely different sitting on his bed. A young, scantily clad red head. Raising a brow she looked at him and cleared her throat.

It was safer to put the young woman on the top bunk and Illya had taken one of the lower bunks that was crowded with children. It hadn't been that comfortable, but he knew that Ayrn would be trying to crawl all over the poor girl otherwise. It seemed the young woman was nearly terrified of everyone and everything. He had tried to coax her off the bunk several times just so she could go bathe. Rather than getting anywhere it seemed that he was about to have to go through another skiff with Kalizda as she stepped toward inside the door. Turning on his heel he stepped out into the hall since he assumed she was giving him that 'let's talk' look. "Yah feeling better?"

"I'll be fine," she replied quietly, as her eyes flicked from his, to the girl and back, "Where did she come from?" The question wasn't accusatory, simply a questions a captain would ask when a stranger appeared on her ship.

Illya let out a sigh. "When we hit da last port I got all the supplies. We were out of money. I uh..." Reaching up he rubbed the back of his neck. "Decided to uh...Well I went looking for games I could join without putting money up front." For whatever reason it was starting to feel especially hot in the ship and he glanced at Kalizda only long enough to catch the look on her face. "Didn't know quite what kind of game or stakes I was playing for. Won th-the purse of 600,000 for yah. Got th-the grand prize too. Gave meh her." Nodding toward the girl he then looked at the floor for a moment before meeting Kalizda's gaze again. "Looked like dey treated her bad. Couldn't leave her thhere, so I brougth her back and I can't get her down to take a shower. She stays perched up th-there all day!"

Calysta looked at the woman and then back at Illya. She knew he was telling the truth. Something like that would only happen to the Chip. It wasn't going to stop her from messing with him about it some, considering how flush he was starting to look. Her eyes narrowed, staring at him hard for a moment.

He never knew what to expect with these sort of situation and considering how well it went over with the two women at his side, Illya wasn't sure she would beleive him this time. That little fiasco at the beach had looked pretty condemning. "Now just a minute." A natural tone of defense came to Illya's voice and he started spluttering slightly. "I-I-I wouldn't do anything to her! Da room is full of kids and meh parents. I have an acute sense of modesty."

Calysta let him roll on, getting flustered over the woman in his bed. One he had no idea how to communicate with apparently. She gave him a skeptical gaze for good measure. "An acute sense of modesty, huh. Well, okay."

"You know I'm modest!" Illya looked at her with a nearly panicked expression. Throwing his hands in the air he gave a final protest to the situation. "Yah can't fit two adults in one bunk."

"That depends on how you're sleeping, Illya," she remarked as she slipped past him and shuffled over to the girl. She looked demure enough, and most definitely treated roughly more than once. Calsyta had seen the type before. Giving the woman a gentle smile, she offered her an open palm to see if she would come down.

"Yes it does and even if I did share the bunk Yah know I sleep on my left side. Meh back would be to her." Since it seemed Kalizda was determined to think the worst of him he took himself to the kitchen for a drink of water.

The girl looked at Kalizda for a long moment and then she carefully put her hand in the woman's though here eyes were narrowed slightly. There was a chance that this woman was trying to trick her.

Calysta caught a glimpse of Illya storming off. She thought for a moment that she might have pushed him too far, since it was such a touchy subject for him. If he bothered to talk to her later about it, she'd quit messing with him. The girl looked at her suspiciously and Calysta couldn't blame her. Rather than closing her hand over the poor girls, she kept it open an invited her to come down from the bunk.

Keeping her eyes on the woman she noticed that she hadn't closed her hand and she withdrew her own before helping herself off the bunk. Peeping around Calysta she tried to see if the man was anywhere in site. She didn't really want to move or go anywhere when he could see her.

Calysta caught her looking at the door with narrow eyes. She was probably terrified of Illya, which was understandable given her situation. The man had once scared her too. "Do you speak traders-tongue?" she asked.

Gazing back at Calysta she gave a slow nod and then checked down the hall again before speaking. "Are you his to?"

Calysta shook her head and sighed a little. "No, I belong to no one. I'm the Captain on this ship. The man is my co-pilot and he wont hurt you."

The redhead raised her chin so that she could look Kalizda in the eyes. "Then make me free." She understood that a captain held ultimate authority on board a ship. "I don't want him to be my master."

It did raise an interesting dilemma. Of course, in Calysta's eyes the woman was free already, but knowing how Illya operated he may not see it that way. She would have to speak with him about it. "I'll speak with him about that. While I do, you are more than welcome to shower and join us for breakfast. Sound fair?"

Shyly the woman looked at her own poor clothing and she shook her head. "I have nothing to wear. If I get clean it won't do me any good. I would put these dirty clothes back on and I don't want anyone to come in while I shower." In a whisper she added. "Nobody knocks on the bunk room door, they just walk in and out and they all change in the same room."

Calysta slipped her hand to her side, holding her wound steady against the quiet chuckle. "I'll find you something to wear, and the door has a lock."

Nodding a little the redhead chanced a small smile. "Thank you."

****

By the time Calysta was done fishing out the only set extra set of clothes she had, her clean night shirt with shorts, and showing her to the bathroom, the bullet wound was already starting to throb again. There were still things that had to be taken care of however. She actually needed to have a serious conversation about what to do with the girl. Walking into the kitchen, she found Illya sitting at the table with a half full glass of water still looking red faced and flustered. Calysta sighed and shook her head, as she held her side. He had taken her so seriously and she almost felt bad for giving him such a hard time about the whole issue. He hadn't really seemed to care about the incident on the beach, and she had let it go, knowing he hadn't actually done anything. He hadn't really done anything this time either. Calysta knew what kind of a man he was and it was not the Ayrn-kind. She was going to have to fess up and admit she wasn't actually mad at him. Might as well get that over with first, so we can actually talk.

"Illya," Calysta said, quietly from the door "Can we talk?"
 
Illya sat in the kitchen with the water for several minutes. He couldn't help feeling a little irritated. Why all these random women had decided to sleep next to him, he didn't know. By now he'd made his mind up that he indeed liked Kalizda and he didn't like what he'd decided at least not at this time. It was best not to say a word for a while and just wait to see how things turned out. At the same time he like if he didn't speak someone else would and then he wouldn't have any chance. Kalizda was a fine woman and it was surprising she wasn't taken yet. Now it was just all coming out sideways. Everything to do with women and Kalizda were especially difficult. These were things outside of his control. All he did was go to a simple game and then this well shaped girl ended up being the grand prize. How was he supposed to know that she would be the grand prize? It wasn't like he went out looking to get a woman.

Since he wasn't really interested in the water after the first few sips he watched the liquid crawl up the glass and then settle in the bottom again as he tipped it away from himself and then let it sit flat on the table again. He was in the middle of tipping the glass when Kalizda came into the kitchen and Illya set it on the table flat then looked at her. "What now?" For the most part he was expecting that she would have a few more words to say about the woman and he couldn't help that. From the start he told her the truth and this was the first time she didn't take him seriously.

Calysta kept her eyes on him, looking slightly apologetic. "Illya, I know you didn't do anything with the girl, alright?"

"What?" Illya's eyebrows raised and he stood up from the table and shook his head. After a moment he started to chuckle. "Yah played yah part very good Kalizda woman."

She gave him a mischevious half-smile and and started to giggle a little. "Now, the women on the beach...."

Shaking his head he narrowed his eyes. "No...I did nothing. Well uh...Th-that was half da problem. Didn't have energy to argue so I let thhe woman lay down. Not like she could get to meh all curled up in the blanket."

Calysta laughed lightly, until the the sharp stitch at her side reminded her that it was a bad idea. "Illya, I'm kidding. I know you didn't do anything with them either...I just couldn't resist asking about it. I know you're not like that."

With a nod he acknowledged her and grew serious for a long moment. His heart was about ready to thump right out onto the floor. Taking a deep breath he tried to focus on the words that he'd been considering. "Kalizda, if I asked would yah wait for meh?"

Her easy going smile faded some and her brow furrowed in confusion. He seemed nervous, which was odd for him and she wasn't sure she understood what he was saying. "What do you mean, wait for you?"

Good lord, had she never heard a man break the rules before? Illya let out a long breath and he shook his head chuckling a little. "I'm not ready Kalizda, but I like yah." Putting a hand on the glass he fiddled with it for a moment. "Maybe when I'm ready yah would put the red dress on again."

She stood there trying to make sense of what he was saying. Just a few days ago, he'd made sure that they would only be friends. He'd been worried about her wanting to be more than that. She'd been...disappointed...even if she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. Now, he was asking this? Did he know what he was saying? She knew she cared about him. How that had come about, she couldn't begin to guess. "Illya...I would put on the red dress again. If you wanted me to."

While she stood there without saying anything he could have sworn that he could feel sweat start in his scalp and maybe some along his upper lip. Why this sort of thing got him more nervous than even the gauntlet he didn't know. When she answered he let out a long breath. "Ok, we just need some time first eh? Time to know one another and..." For a moment he got quiet before saying anything else. "Surprises aren't always good. We decide together when yah put the red dress on again?"

He looked more scared of talking to her than he did facing down an entire Cirellant blockade. Considering the way her own heart was rattling around in her chest, she understood the feeling. Still, she didn't want him to worry about it. Stepping over, she put her hand over the one fumbling with the glass, pausing his fingers, and gave him a smile. "Well, we did make a rule. Stick together. That applies to this too."

The hand over his was almost shocking, but he managed an awkward smile. "I th-think yah have a good plan." Gazing into her eyes he noticed the twinge of pain that seemed to be ever present lately. "Yah still hurting from thhe bullet?" Somehow he'd forgotten how delicate she was and it was at times worrisome.

She pulled her hand away, back to her side but kept her eyes on his bright green eyes. He was looking at her in a way, she'd never quite seen before and she wasn't sure what to say other than answer what he asked. "Some, yes. Your mother has helped me with it, but It's slows me down more than I like to admit sometimes."

"Then rest all yah need. Body heals better with sleep eh?" Picking the glass up he began to absent mindedly turn it one way and then another. "Yah get thhe girl to wash?"

"Aye, she's in the bathroom now," Calysta nodded, "That...is another thing I want to talk to you about. Do you intend on keeping her?"

It was pleasing to know that the girl wouldn't be perched on the bunk and smelling like she hadn't washed in weeks. As terrible as it sounded he didn't want his bunk to stink when he got it back. Eventually he was going to move her somewhere else in the bunk room. It all took an unexpected turn when Kalizda asked him about keeping her. "I don't need her. She work for her place here and I don't mind if she stays."

"Then she is free to stay or go once we get to Kaereal as long as she pitches in while she's here," Calysta agreed, "Though we should get her some real clothes either way. Can't have the stowaway getting any ideas." She knew her face was still red from their conversation, but she wasn't sure what do or say now, that her intended reason for coming to him was resolved.

Illya started to pull the little black book from his pocket. "I figure if she works for 2 days she free." With a nod he shoved it back into his pocket. As for the clothing he should have thought of that before, but he'd been in a hurry to get out of port and he didn't particularly want her or see use for the woman. Her price was very low and he still owed her clothing. "I should have assessed her at more eh."

She let out a long breath at the sight of the note book. She knew while it was perfectly logical to him, she disliked the idea of the woman not being essentially free. He wouldn't see it that way, and they would be to Kaereal in a days time anyways. How could she get him to drop his "assessment" making her free? Biting at her lip, she thought for a moment. " I see. Well, she did come with a pretty fair purse too. What do you intend to do with that?"

"I buy her clothing and when she is free she decides where she wants to be. She stay here and work, yah can decide thhat." Illya thought for a moment longer. "Rest of the money we use to get Chippeqouti started on a new planet and buy more fuel to go back."

Calysta nodded, as she thought. "What if I offered to pay off her debt to you? I would like her to be free. "

Shaking his head Illya met her gaze. "No, yah don't pay for her. If yah want her free I thhink maybe I say she pay her debt when she warned meh to get off da planet fast."

Calysta barely remembered touching down much less taking off and wasn't sure she wanted to know why he'd been warned to leave by the girl. Plus, it did work in her favor. "I think that would be...fair. So, she is a free woman?"

Reluctantly he pulled the book out again and scratched the sum out. "She is free." Kalizda ran a hard bargain and he hated to admit that she was holding him around her little finger. It was hard to say no to such a small request and especially since he didn't want the girl. If he had it would have been a far more difficult bargain to strike. Instead he was left standing in the kitchen with an empty book, 600,000 in cash, owing some clothing to the girl, and Kalizda's word that they would decide when to agree. This was not how he planned his day, but it was better than he had anticipated.

It was only a few moments after she left and he realized the gravity of what he'd just talked with her about. All the other lady things aside, he'd just asked her to wait for him. How long was that gonna be? He did like her, but it seemed panic worthy. Setting the glass on the table again he stared at it for a long time. He just agreed with Kalizda for the future. Illya had no idea how long he stood staring into his glass. The concentration was broke when his mother came into the kitchen. "Illya cook something. Don't stand there." His head snapping up Illya nodded almost blindly and walked over to the cabinet. Pulling one of them open he stared at it and everything inside without really reading anything even though his eyes scanned all of it.

Yvonne frowned a little when she saw her son begin to pull out random foods that didn't go together at all. "Illya!" He was especially jumpy too. A crack sounded as he slammed his knees into the lower cabinets. The woman wandered over to where he stood and she stared deeply into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I..." Shaking his head a little Illya shoved everything back in the cupboard. "I agreed with Kalizda for the future." The two of them kept it quiet and in Quoti because at least it should stay mostly private.

"You know she'll get sick and die long before you." Gazing fiercely into her son's eyes she finally pushed in next to him and pulled a box out of the cupboard and slammed it on the counter. "With the war there would be some widows, but you couldn't wait. You can't leave her now. You agree with her because you still move faster than yah think."

Grabbing a can of fruit Illya slid it toward his mother. "I think very hard about this." It was maybe a couple of minutes, but it was still thinking. "I like her. She's good to all Chippeqouti and she save meh life at least once. Kalizda is good as any Chip woman. I ask the Ehaui to help her."

Clenching her jaw the woman glowered at Illya for a moment. Yvonne saw that same look in his eye as he got when he was about to do something crazy. He did that when he went to war and choices long before that. "Your children with her will only be half breed. How do you know they won't be sickly?" They never bred outside of their own kind.

"She is already half Terran and half Kaerlean. We see what happens." Illya shoved another can toward his mother. "We cook now eh?" Both of them stood over their dish stirring furiously while Yvonne went over all the traditions and Illya pointed out no tradition that said he couldn't agree with Kalizda. "I choose her and she agree." At that Yvonne stopped stirring and she stared at him for a long moment. There was a sense of disapproval building and he could see it. "We go by a woman's custom. Her custom is a man or woman asks. So I ask her to wait for me. We agree to wait until I'm ready and then we agree on time together." Gradually the disapproving glare faded and Yvonne nodded with a reluctant acceptance.

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

The girl scampered toward the shower. She saw the big man sitting in the kitchen. He didn't seem to notice and so she ran past as fast as she could. Her skirt flit behind her and shut the bathroom door behind herself. It felt so odd to be in a place that she could safely clean herself. Hopefully the captain was as good as she seemed. So far the woman was allowing her to wash and she was going to get her something else to wear and it sounded like she was going to make sure the big man didn't touch her.

Throwing her head back she let the water run over her head and face. The long red hair changed from a dirty color to a vibrant flaming tone. What looked like a slight tan began to dot in the water and run off her skin in smudges of dirt from the weeks of travel and mistreatment. A knock sounded at the door and she hid herself in the shower curtain. It was thankfully only the captain setting clothing inside. Still she watched until the woman left. When she finished washing the girl pulled the clothing into the shower with her and changed behind the curtains.

Judging by the fit of the clothing she guessed that the captain was a bit shorter than herself. The sleeves to the shirt were too short and the pant legs looked like they had shrunk by 2 inches. It was enough to show off her ankles and that was annoying. Rollin the bottom of the pant legs up a few inches helped to make the pants look more like they were supposed to be this way. Unfortunately she had to roll the sleeves up on the shirt too. Though she would have preferred to have a shirt that fit it was better than nothing and certainly better than what she had before. Shyly poking her wet head out the door of the bathroom she peeped down the hallway before gathering her old clothes and darting for the bunkroom.

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

Yvonne glanced at Kalizda several times throughout the meal. There was a lot to admire, and yet she couldn't believe that her son had agreed with this woman. She was not Chippeqouti. What was even more irritating was that when his father found out the man remained mostly quiet on the subject. He didn't seem to agree or disagree with the choice. If nothing else he could have stated an opinion. None of the other Chippeqouti would say anything and she knew better than to ask them. It was not their business and since her son had already agreed it was not her business either.
 
Calysta couldn't help but smile some when Illya said the woman was free. She suspected that his willingness to forgive the woman's perceived debt had more to do with her than than the fairness of the bargain, but she certainly wasn't going to mention it. Shifting on her feet to lean into the bullet wound some, she nodded. "I'll help get her settled in when she's done in the bathroom. Then...I think I may rest awhile."

With a more tired smile, she retreated from the kitchen and to her quarters. When the door shut, her heart started to pound even harder for some reason. Did that just happen? She had gone into the kitchen to free the girl, and come out...engaged? She ran her hands through her hair actually thinking about the conversation. He'd been standing there chuckling and looking at her with those bright green eyes...the ones that made her blush...and then suddenly...he asked her that. More shocking were the words she found herself saying back.

Her face was growing even hotter than it had been in the kitchen and she wandering over to the bed where Keysha was curled up. Easing herself onto the mattress, her kitten stirred some and crawled over her lap to sleep more where it was warm. Calysta stroked between her pet's ears, making the cat purr with every breath. She had the hardest time admitting she liked Illya and cared for him. He was a good man. There were reasons why she'd kept her distance from men for so long, but some how he'd broken through her stubbornness. He'd managed to make her take a chance. That in and of itself was terrifying, yet also, made her strangely happy. Could those two emotions even exist in a person at the same time? Or would the two simply collide like hot and cold air and cause a whirlwind? That's what it felt like in her head and her chest.

There was no telling when he would be ready but she respected that. And if he was never ready? The question sank in for a moment, and Calysta sighed as she stroked the cat. She wasn't the type of person who took matters of the heart lightly, and neither was Illya. If he was never ready, they would deal with it together.

Calysta picked up Keysha under the under the arms and looked into the cats sleepy yellow eyes. This time couldn't help but chuckle at the her thought. "Another one of his ideas, Keysha."

****

Ayrn sat back on his bunk grinning as he listened to Calysta give the co-pilot a sarcastic earful about the red-head. She hadn't let up no matter how repentant he sounded or how much he tried to explain. When Illya threw his hands up at Calysta and walked away, the scene grew even sweeter. He may have won the girl, but he doubted the Captain would let him actually keep her. Not to mention she looked far to angry with her co-pilot to even think about him right now.

He kept to his bed while Calysta coaxed the curvy beauty of the top bunk. His eye couldn't help but travel some, but he quickly snapped it back to the bunk above him as the captain glanced over at him. When the two left, he crossed his feet and stretched out over his bunk. He could let a few more hours pass before he went to see if she needed help with anything. Illyuck was in deep enough with her that he wasn't going to climb out of this one anytime soon.

****

Calysta woke with Keysha half laid over her head and not having any memory of falling asleep. Checking the clock, she realized that it was nearly dinner time and she should get up to help, and at least check on the girl. The cat moved away grumpily as she sat up and smoothed down her hair. The puffiness in her side told her it was time for more pain medication too. As she started slowly for the door, a knock from the other side stopped her. "Come in."

The door cracked open and Ayrn's face appeared. He was wearing a cheery grin, as he nodded to her. "Just thought I would come tell you dinner's ready. Want me to bring you some?"

"No, thanks...I'll eat with everyone else."

He looked a little disappointed, but his smile only flickered before he was asking another question. "Well, is there anything else you need done? Need help with anything?"

"Illya would be able to tell you what needs to be done around the ship at the moment," Calysta replied, as she moved to the door.

At the sound of Illya's name Ayrn seemed to deflate a little. "Right, I'll ask him then."

His face vanished from the door way, and Calysta suspected that the man wouldn't bother to ask Illya anything.

She made her way into the kitchen where she found Illya, Yvonne, and most of the children already eating. The kids chattered around them, the younger of them smacking at their spoonfuls of soup. Illya ladled her out a bowl full and she thanked him before sitting down with some of the kids to eat. Calysta noticed the red-head had not come out of the bunk room, though she now knew she was free and safe to do so. As she ate, she also noticed Yvonne kept glancing at her. Maybe she was just looking at the wound she helped treat or...maybe Illya had said something to her. Of course he had. The woman was his mother. How could he not? She hadn't even thought about the fact his parents were on the ship with her or how they would feel about it. Then again, was it their business? Calysta finished off her soup, not really tasting it, and then left the kitchen with a bowl for the girl in hand, trying act casual.

****

The hatch opened, letting in the warm night air of her home continent, Pyrta. Tall, golden grasses with red tips waved in the breeze, creating a soft whispering sound with each gentle pass. The little flytr bugs had already come out by the droves, mingling with the grass and glowing faintly over the fields. Her home continent was fairly rural, and she had landed them on the edge in a field far from prying eyes. At least until morning.

Calysta had been reluctant to radio ahead, for fear of who might be listening, but she did send a personal code of Terran origin that wouldn't be easily recognized. After what happened at the memorial, she would take the least amount of chances possible. The message had been one innocuous word that only one person would understand the meaning of. Lemons. She could only hope the went through and wait for the reply. The Chips aboard the ship were starting to grow restless, and she couldn't blame them. They hadn't really been off the ship in a weeks time and that would make anyone stir crazy. "It's safe to go outside here, but stay close to the ship and far from the Edge."

The kids were more than happy to say a quick "Yes captain!" before stampeding out of the door accompanied by Edgar and Markus. She could hear the children playing, and giggling. It sounded like one of them was catching the flytr bugs, which was something she used to do as a child too. Another universal game for any child apparently.

Calysta yawned as a reply finally flashed up on the screen written in code. She went to work, using the formula to work out the single word message. Urio. He wanted to meet them on the continent Urio. It wasn't her favorite place to on Kaereal, but it made sense why he wanted to meet there. She eased out of her chair and stepped back to the bunk room where Illya had gone to let everyone know it was safe to come out for a bit. When she found him, he was trying to tell to the red-head who was shying away from him.

"Illya."

His head came around and his eyes locked with hers, as she beckoned him out into the hallway. "Illya, I've made coded contact with someone who can help us find a home for the Chips, whether its here on Kaereal or another planet. He wants to meet us on another continent, Urio."

No matter how hard Illya tried to get the redhead to do anything she wouldn't. Anyone else on the ship could say something and there was a fair chance that she would listen, but for him it was impossible. Kalizda had good timing when it came to these sorts of things. Illya was close to losing his temper. Walking into the hall with her he waited for whatever it was she was going to say. A deep frown started to grow on his face while he listened. "Why not here? Why do we have to go somewhere else to meet?"

"Because he doesn't want to draw anyone who might be watching him to the ship, I imagine. Urio is a place busy enough to blend into, which is probably why he chose there," she replied, honestly.

A place busy enough to blend sounded perhaps like a better option even for the Chippeqouti. "If yah trust him we will go and see." It certainly didn't mean that they had to stay, but it was at least worth a look.

"Then we'll catch the transport across, and meet him there. The ship will be safe here until sunrise," Calysta nodded to Illya. The she glanced over to the red head on the bunk. "He's only trying to tell you it's safe to come out and get some fresh air. You should join the others."

****

When Illya was ready, Calysta lead him out into the fields where a small foot path through the grass lead toward the actual landing area. There would be a ferry that would take them to a hub there they could board a transport to Urio. The transport would be a much gentler one the Illya's last two experiences at the Flight Festival at least. Calysta was enjoying the warm breeze, the smell of the grass, and the quiet as they walked until running foot falls broke through the spell.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Ayrn was jogging down the trail and finally caught up with them, panting and adjusting his eye patch with a grin. "I'm going with you."
 
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