Calysta kept her face casual as Illya spoke in low Quoti. She knew that he would make good on this threat if he had to. Of course, what he perceived as too much danger and she perceived as too much danger were probably different. She wanted to tell him that it would be okay, she would do what she had to, but she had no idea what they had in mind.

"I'm not sure what will happen," Calysta said, "To hurt me physically would mean more than just hitting a half breed. It would be practical war on the Alliance. I'm sure they wont go that far. It doesn't mean they won't try anything else."

They kept walking and eventually into another tree top village where the children paused in their play and everyone else stopped working to stare their little procession. Calysta felt her cheeks heating up with a combination of anger and embarrassment, but kept her eyes firmly on the chief who was still mounted and ringed by other guards of his own. He was short, tan skinned and wiry with muscle. He clearly knew how to ride his wyreoi expertly as well as use his spear. She had seen pictures of the man but never met him in person.

As she approached, she wondered if he would lower his spear again. Instead, they came to a halt in front of him and he clapped his hands in a short, rapping sound. Two women appeared, at least, she was sure they were women, and offered them jugs filled with clear liquid. Calysta hesitated and the chief snorted. "Water. Did y' not request water, Councilwoman?"

Calysta stared at the chief and then took up the jug before up ending the bottle into her lips. She took a few gulps and then offered it to Illya. "It's water," she told him in Quoti.

The chief's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. Instead, he stared at Calysta and she knew he was measuring her. Assessing her and weighing her worth. "Chief Yaryn," Calysta said finally breaking the silence, "I want to begin this test immediately."

Yaryn looked surprised that she knew his name despite the fact he had never introduced himself. She knew all of their names in fact, and had worked hard to learn as much about them as possible. "And I want you to tell me why you think I am a coward for everyone to hear."

The chief's jaw worked some and Calysta waited in stony silence. Maybe he didn't like the idea of someone acting like they were in control. Finally, he looked around at his village and then back to her again. "You hide on your little farming home like a coward. A sick blood to weak to come to us. Too weak to make a move against the people who threaten mine. You are weak and cowardly leader. You smell of fear and you look it. You came to me and you suppose that makes you brave? Council people before you have always come, but you hid like the frightened little sick breed you are. Now, you are here to do what? Talk? Make promises?"

Calysta's jaw worked and she looked at the chief, trying not to tell him to go take a hike. "Aye, I have not been off of Pyrta to visit you like the council people before me. But I'm here now. You want to call me sick and weak? A coward? That's fine. I'll do this test but when I do. You will never call me weak again. You will meet with me and the other chiefs in Aerikota, and you will tell the other chief to do the same. He is your brother, isn't he? Your word should be enough to vouch for me."

Yaryn's nostrils flared and he leaned a little closer to her. "Fine. A deal is struck." Then he spat into his palm and offered his hand to her. She grit her teeth and spat into her palm then pressed her tiny hand against the chiefs. "Deal. Now, lets get on with it."

They were lead through the trees for another 2 miles until the treeline thinned and they came to a rocky outcropping of white stone they made up the Edge. There was a plat form lashed to the rock and sitting over the open air. "You will do the uruk." A grouping of villagers that had followed them began to murmur.

Calysta looked at the platform and then to Yaryn. "What does it entail?"

"Y'will leap off th' platform an' find th' caved underneath th' continent. Only one path leads back t' th' surface. Get in an' get out before sunrise tomorrow morning. If you do this, I will take back my words an' come t' th' summit with my brother. Perhaps weak blood and half breeds will survive, but I doubt it."

A bundle was unrolled at her feet by another warrior containing a spear and a knife. "These are the only tools allowed to you. If you pick them up, th' test begins." Calysta stared at the weapons. No other council person had to deal with this. They were respected outright. If this is what she had to do, she would do it though. "I'm going to do it, Illya," she said in Quoti, "I can do it and if this is what it takes to make a point. Then I will."
 
There was a further walk to make and Illya walked next to Kalizda until they finally came to a clearing and the process was described. An involuntary growl sounded and his fists clenched at his side. He was starting to lean forward and about to take a step when Kalizda spoke. Turning toward her slightly Illya's hands relaxed and he took his watch off. Speaking to her in Quoti he gave her instructions. "You wear this. If you're in distress you will have a way to contact me. If you signal distress I will come get you. I'll set it to communicate with my pad eh?" She needed to be safe first and foremost. Chances are the Aeriktans wouldn't know what his tactical watch was for and even if they protested, it was not a weapon or anything that would actually make her journey faster.

Nodding to Kalizda he let her walk to the edge of the platform. As soon as she'd leapt he turned toward the Chief. "She will come out on time. She es strong. Yah know dis es fair warning. Ef she dies she es Councilwoman and I will kill yah for yah cowardice. Yah only hope of redemption es deat ef she dies. I never see man so afraid of leader dat he requires such test. I will wait for her at place she will appear before sunrise. Ef she suffers injury I will challenge yah tah fight. Yah may bring yah spear. Now yah show meh where dis place es dat she will appear at."

Illya knew that the Chief would have someone watch the place, or he would go himself to watch. It had to be verified that she appeared before sunrise. She knew from running with the Elite that she could jog for hours longer than she could run and she could control her breathing. She would be alright. It was a comfort that he had taught her to use weapons in close combat. Nodding to Rezna he gave his order, "Iron skins, yah wait here. I will go wait for her on dah oter end. No matter which way she comes up we will be here tah protect her."

The trek back across the continent was mildly painful for his leg, but Illya ignored it and when they reached the spot he stood at attention and waited for her. Illya would only pace in front of the exit of the cave to relieve his back and legs from the pain of standing almost completely still otherwise. Every now and then Illya would glance at the Chief with disgust, but Kalizda made her choice. She did this because the man was cowardly and couldn't see past his own fears to accept her as a leader.

At the first sight of Kalizda Illya had to fight the urge to help her up, out of the cave the rest of the way. Once she stood on the ground he didn't hold back. Racing toward Kalizda he swept her off the ground and put her on his shoulders. "I will carry yah back eh?"
 
Calysta took Illya's watch and knew that they could keep in communication with it. The tech was sleek in design for a Chip but for her it weighed down a little heavily. It was still something she needed to keep on her.

"What is that?" the chief asked, "No other weapons are allowed."

"It's a watch. So that I know what time it is," Calysta said, "I want to make sure I arrive before sunrise."

Yaryn didn't inquire further. Instead, he stepped to the side to allow her passage to the platform. She picked up the knife and tucked it into her belt, then picked up the spear. It was light enough to carry with ease. The platform hung over the edge and she had no idea what would happen when she jumped. She imagined there must be a net of some kind, but she couldn't be sure. Calysta peered over the edge and saw nothing but puffy clouds. "Okay then...I guess we find out if I can really fly."

Before she could hesitate much more she steeled her nerves and leapt into the open air. Wind buffeted her but the fall was steady until something caught her and rebounded her a few times. She almost let go of the spear in surprise and as she bounced once, then twice, then a third time before rolling down a gossamer netting into a wide cave mouth on the side of the continent. Here, it was damp and dim. The stone floor beneath her was pitted from water run off.

Calysta rolled to a stop and then got to her feet, dusting off her hands on her pants. The spear landed near by and she plucked that up too before turning to the cave. It delved down deeper and became pitch black. No light at all penetrated into the catacombs of the continent. "Great." There wasn't another path to follow though.

She walked, carefully avoiding the larger pits until it became impossible to see, then she turned the brightness up on Illya's watch and used it to guide her steps. She was moving far too slow though and the watch wouldn't last forever. How long had she been walking downward? She checked the time. She had been walking downward for two hours straight.

Eventually she started seeing little pocket rooms and tunnels leading off the main. Some were filled with water up to the floor. The entire area probably flooded in a heavy rain storm. Anothers had water flowing in from above like water falls. The dry ones were filled with stalactites and stalagmites. She recognized a few of the sparkling ores imbedded in them. On the third hour, she grew thirsty and stopped by one of the pools to cup her hands for a drink. The water had been filtered through the stone above and should be relatively safe. It wasn't until she was drinking her third handful that her dim wrist light caught on something shimmering across the water. She froze and squinted into the dark, lifting Illya's watch for more light. A yawning skull, half crushed under an apparent cave collapse stared back at her. Yelping at the sudden fiend, she jumped back and landed in one of the pits in the floor twisting her ankle some.

Calysta rubbed her ankle and out of curiosity flashed the dim light over the skull. It had sharpened silver teeth and clearly had been there for some time. Shaking her head, she cursed quietly in Kaerelean and then stood up again to test her ankle.
It twinged a little but didn't feel broken. It would be sore though.

Another hour passed and the tunnel flattened out before splitting in two directions. Her watch light wasn't going to last too much longer if she had to guess and she hadn't seen a single material she could use to light a fire of any kind for light except for the spear and the shirt off her back. She needed that to keep the chill at bay. They had taken them to the West Edge maybe a little south west, and she was meant to be going north east. Of course, beyond the blackness, who knew where these would go? She noticed one tunnel had more airflow than the other. Maybe that one lead to the surface?

She chose that one and followed it, picking her way through the pitted floor until the darkness seemed less dense. Suddenly, her toes were hovering over open air. A jolt of adrenaline hit her and she scrambled back from a hole in the floor the size of a flyer. The tunnel simply ended in open air over the cavern. She had gone the wrong way!

Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to regain her composure, leaning against the rock bed. She couldn't even see the opening and she'd almost fallen through. Gasping a few times, she cursed and kicked the cave wall with her heels. "Did Henaiah have to do this? Noooo....what about Councilman Ryse before her? Nope." Gritting her teeth she kicked the wall again, making her ankle ache and wiped at her face. Her skin was cold, but she was sweating from the humidity still. "I'm going to show that son of a bitch...damnnit!"

Anger fueled her march back the way she came and down the opposite tunnel. Another hour passed without incident but her watch batter was fading. She had no idea how far she was from the surface and if she had no light she definitely wouldn't make it back before dawn. It was getting harder not be angry over it all. She thought she had dealt with these feelings so long ago, but maybe she hadn't dealt with all of them.

Calysta walked and walked on, the tunnel narrowed and grew larger, then narrowed again She stopped for more water and her stomach gave a growl, but it was better not to think about food. She came across webs of roots and spiders and all sorts of debris. The spear and knife came in handy for that. When she managed to fight her way through another tangle of roots, she came up to another split. One way looked easier than the other, but the harder one had something interesting. It was filled to the brim with water and on the opposite side of the pool was a bright glowing rock. No. Not the rock. There was moss growing on the rock that lit up everything nearby.

Grinning, she looked at the water which appeared still, if not freezing. She could get across there. It wasn't like she had any other lighting choices anyways. She stripped off her outer tunic so it would be dry when she came out and then did the same for her socks and shoes. The water was horribly cold and she gasped when she dove in. "Ooh..." she groaned, her teeth chattering. She used the wall to guide her over to the glowing rock. It was impossible to feel the bottom of the pool and Wilds only knew how deep it went.

Using the knife, she sheered away an entire carpet of the lichen, then lashed it to her spear with her hair bands. "Aha!" In triumph, she started back toward the entrance, using one hand as a guide. She was half way there when she felt something tugging at her. A current was rolling through and it was strong. Her hand ripped away from the side and she clung to the spear as she was sucked under water.

The current tossed her around, circling her like a toilet bowl, around and around until she was bounced through a spout of some kind. She fell along with a waterfall into a new chamber. Coughing and sputtering, she swam away from the water fall in hopes of finding an end to the room. After what seemed like years, she found a ledge and hauled herself up, panting and shivering. Now she had light, but only half her clothes and she was soaked. Not to mention, she had no idea where this cave went or if it had an exit at all.

She had a few scrapes and bruises from bouncing along the tunnel, but no major injuries. She had at least kept ahold of the spear. After a healthy moment of rest, the cold grew too much for her to bear without moving and getting her blood pumping. To keep herself on the move, she searched for an exit and found one after a short climb upward into another antechamber. It was much easier to see with this lichen on the end of her spear.

The chambers kept going up or straggled here and there with more rocks or roots to help the upward descent. Was she finally getting close? Illya's watch had been ripped off of her thin wrist during her trip down the waterfall. She had no idea what time it was. Would this all have been for nothing?

Calysta started to climb again and tugged on a root. When she did, dirt and debris rained down on her along with something solid. Whatever it was plopped into her curling, damp hair and began to skitter around with prickly legs. Squealing, she batted at her hair and felt a sharp sting across her palm. It burned horribly but it only made her more determined to get whatever it was off of her head.

Finally, she dislodged it and it fell to the cave floor below with a sickening plop. She spat on it for good measure and tried to look at her hand while holding on to the root and fumbling with the spear. It was already getting puffy and it burned like hell. "Damned bugs...damned purists..."

She wanted to scream when she started climbing again. Her puffy fingers protested more work but it was the only way out the Aeriktan hell hole. When she poked into the chamber above, her eyes widened. She could see a break in the darkness. Dim, almost dying moonlight was coming in from a hole above the chamber. All she had to do was use the rocks and roots to climb out. Of course, standing between her and the access point were dozens of sleek bodied and lightly glowing bugs. Their long bodies and hundreds of legs made a horrible sound across the stone. Each one was longer than her forearm and nearly the same thickness if not more. There was no discernable face, but each end of the creature had a nasty looking stinger.

She was half tempted to capture one and toss it on Yaryn when she got to the top. That mean, yet satisfying thought crossed her mind and she huffed out a sigh. She had to get across that room. Gritting her teeth, she calculated the best way to go was around the edge until she got to where she wanted. When she climbed further into the hole, the bugs twitched and started a marched toward her. "Seriously!" She made a dash for it. A few of them chased her and she tossed the moss over the closest ones to slow them down. She didn't need the light anymore. One managed to get close and stung her heel. She stabbed it with the spear and kicked another one right in the belly, sending it flailing in the opposite direction. When she reached the climbing point, she jerked on a tree root and one slid down her arm, stinging her in the process. Their burning attacks didnt feel like much anymore. There was only one goal in mind and that was to make to the top of the shaft.

She clawed her way up to the top and as soon as her head poked through, she found Illya running toward her.

Calysta found herself on Illya's shoulders. She was exhausted, hungry, and sore among other things, but she made it above the ground. More than anything she wanted to lay down and sleep with her husband for a good nights rest, but there was more to be done. She tossed down down the spear she had been holding with a nearly frozen iron grip and showed off the massive centipede- like creature skewered to the end of it. "Your challenge is done," she said to Yaryn, "You will come to the summit with your brother and you will take back what you said. You will never call me half breed again." Yaryn stared at the spear for a moment, then gave her a tight nod. "You have won our deal. We will come." Calysta's fingers found Illya's shoulders and she leaned closer to speak in Quoti. "Are you alright?" She wished he would have gone to see the doctor while she was gone for so long.


Illya walked Kalizda on his shoulders over to the Chief and he stared at the man with a steady, cold gaze. He let Kalizda say her part and then he continued walking with her on his shoulders. She began to speak to him in Quoti and he answered, "Yeah, I'm alright. Are you hurt? Any bruises and scrapes more dat Ehaui need to check?"

"Those bugs caught me a few times, but other than that, I'm alright," she admitted, "Don't say anything though. They'll be waiting to see if I go running off to a doctor or something equally half-breed like, despite the deal. It's not so serious that the doctor can't clean them up when we get back to the ship yeah?"

Nodding at her answer Illya growled a little. "You had injury and I will not say that we see the doctor. I do make promise to Chief and he will have injury for your injury. If he refuses he is a coward. I give him task as difficult as he gives you. He will fight me."

Her eyes widened a little. What had he done while she was gone? She could technically ask him not to fight, but he had apparently made a deal or promise to do such. Going back on it would make him look bad in front of these people and now Yaryn was expecting a fight. "Illya....he's going to insist on fighting you now too." She tried to think of a way out of it, but no matter which way she looked at it, he was still going to look bad without fighting now. "It's not to the death, is it?"

"No, it was only to the death if you died. This is fight so that he will feel sting of shame he brings on himself." Illya answered her and then looked at the Chief. "Dere es only tree of us here. Yah have choice tah fight meh here and now, or yah can fight en front of yah entire village. Yah have choice."

Yaryn heard the man call out to him. "The deal was made in front of my people and so it will be completed in front of them. We will fight. Take the councilwoman for respite and we will meet in the city among the rest of the chiefs to finish it."

Nodding Illya accepted the man's words. "It is fair. We will fight in front of dah peoples in dah city as yah say." Kalizda didn't need to see the fight because she had not been there to see the challenge. It was also a good way to sneak her to see the Ehaui. He could see the Ehaui after the fight and the meeting.

***********

Calysta recalled Rezna from chief Yaryn's village and they were meant to rendezvous at her ship. Yaryn agreed they would meet in Aerikota that evening for a feast and for the fight. They didn't have to know a doctor would be around. When they made it back to the ship her father was waiting along with the Ehaui doctor. Both of them looked equally peeved.

"You have mild hypothermia, dehydration, your blood sugar is low, you have a stressed ankle, cuts, bruises, and three stings from an unknown species of insect," the doctor clucked while he scanned her over in the med bay, "You need to clean up, rest, and rehydrate. We can get you started so there's no infection."

Calysta's mouth twitched. She was damned well going to be there for that fight. "I have an engagement this evening," she said, "Do you think I can get cleaned up enough nobody will be able to tell?"

The doctor shot her a look. "You shouldn't be going anywhere doctors orders." Then he turned to Illya ready for an argument. "Your turn for an assessment."
 
An Ehaui doctor was waiting and Illya knew they were less than amused that he and Kalizda were both very late for their appointment. However, he wasn't going to be apologizing for anything. He was determined that Kalizda should have someone waiting for her when she arrived. "Yah check her careful eh? She was bit by someting and she has scratches. Dun need infection." The doctor almost rolled their eyes, but ushered Kalizda into the medical bay and checked her over.

Illya waited by to listen to the news. It didn't sound like anything serious had happened and he was relieved for that. If it had been more serious he might have told her to quit the tour now. He was still burning up with anger at the fact that none of this was necessary except that the little Chief had to flaunt everything he had and then some.

Of course as soon as the doctor was finished with her they looked at him and Illya raised his hand slightly. "I jes need wrap for dis."

The doctor frowned and looked at his hand. "Looks broke. You probably need a cast." Reaching for their scanner they turned around with it to see Illya hand withdrawn his hand and the doctor grumbled. "Fine, I'll wrap it. I'm sure you'll be back."

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

They were all seated around the large, now empty wyeroi pit in stadium style benches that had been quickly erected for the improptu feast and entertainment. While food was being passed around in big bowls from one section of the crowd to the next, the chieftains sat near the center. The three that had met with her looked greatly pleased while the other two. Yaryn and Saryn were quiet and almost silent. When the good had gone around a few times, Yaryn stood and announced in his lilted trader's tongue why he came. "I have come t' fulfill the deal that I struck with the councilwoman. She has passed through the test and returned to the upperside before sunrise and has proven herself to be Aeriktan in mettle. Another promise was struck solely by her mate that for every injury she gained during my test of fortitude he would then attempt to deliver to me in a non lethal duel. An honorable request from a mate. I am here to fight. The first to be incapacitated will be the loser and will be taken off the field in dishonor. The winner will continue the feast with all honor as should be afforded to him." Without further comment, Yaryn hoped the fence and took up a stance in the field with only a well polished staff in hand.

They had at last made it to the feast with all the Chiefs here. Illya was still annoyed that they made Kalizda go through so much just to put on a party and then sit here with sullen faces. There was one thing he was rather looking forward to. That was going to be putting a few bruises on that Chief. The man had it coming. When Yaryn stood and announced the fight Illya stood too and limped over to the gate. His hand was in a simple wrap and it hurt plenty, but he could use it to his advantage. There were ways to make use of these things. Stepping into the gate with the Aeriktan he waited in a relaxed stance for the man to make the first move. He wanted to see how the little fellow moved.

Yaryn circled Illya carefully and calculated but refused to move in for a strike. Instead, he studied Illya and the crowd began to grow impatient.

Apparently, the little fellow had a few ideas and one of them was to just circle around. He was patient, but predictable in the sense that Illya knew he would have to move first. The disadvantage he had in this situation was the fact that he was much taller and he couldn't easily duck anything. However, there was one advantage. Shifting his upper body and feigning a grab for the staff he quickly kicked the dust toward the man's face and then shifted direction again and rather than take the staff made a sharp elbow jab for the man's chest.

Yaryn stumbled back from the strike in his chest and tried to wipe the sand out of his eyes, then made a wide swing with his staff hoping to connect with his opponent.

The man stumbled back, but he was swinging while at it. Illya wasn't quite close enough to render the rod less effective and he could take the chance to get there. It was just a little risky. His move to hit the man in the chest had been a fast jab and run. Illya didn't aim to get anymore bruises out of this. Waiting too long was risky too. The man would see well enough in a few more seconds. Taking a wild lunge he sprung forward and as he flew toward the man he curled into a cannonball. The rod hit, but Illya was sure the man didn't have time to get out of the way fast enough. They were gonna grapple and that was something Illya could do with minimal bruising from here on out.

The staff met it's broad target but did little damage as he lost his grip thanks to a tackle he couldn't see coming. He fell to his back wheezing and blind. Unable to find his staff again, or use it properly at such close range, he abandoned that strategy and decided to take the power out of the man's hits by wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around the man's torso so tight, he wasn't going anywhere.

There was a satisfying tumbling when Illya hit the man. Still despite the hit the little Aeriktan was fast. A bit faster on his recovery than Illya had thought. They were tough little folks, he could give them that. When the man wrapped himself around Illya there was one fast thought that came to mind. Pain had a way of loosening muscles. Instead of trying to power through and potentially tearing ligaments and joints out on the little fellow by tearing his arms away from his neck Illya decided to just get up. Standing to his feet he curled his back and held onto the man's arms firmly before falling backward on top of the Aeriktan Chief.

Yaryn plummeted backward and his breath left his body as all 300 plus pounds of Chip man landed on him. There was a slight wheezing sound as he tightened his grip in an effort to stay conscious then went limp.

The fight almost seemed that it was going to continue as the man's arms tightened a bit more. Illya was shocked. Normally a person's grip got looser, not tighter with that. Just as he was trying to think of another way out of this the little man suddenly went limp. Scrambling to his feet Illya found himself momentarily concerned. Did he accidentally crush the man so badly that he killed him? Checking for a pulse he let out a sigh of relief and then decided he should probably have the Ehaui check the Chief out after they got him moved to his home where he would be safe.

The crowd cheered for Illya and his victory, and Vatu in particularly bellowed loudly before clapping his hands. Two guards appeared and began to haul Yaryn away by his wrists, allowing his feet to drag behind him. He was invited by Wareen to sit in Yaryn's place of honor. "You will sit here tonight. Enjoy your food and your victory. You did well and the people are impressed."

Even if the cheering and the fight should have made him feel vindicated, Illya didn't feel all that great. Technically it was correct, but it certainly wasn't right. Walking over to the men dragging the limp Aeriktan away he growled. "What dah hell are yah doing? Yah get cot and carry him away proper. None of dis dragging shet. He hold up his end of dah deal and he es nut coward so yah carry him like yah Chief." Turning toward the crowd he pursed his lips and strode out of the gateway before addressing them. "I set en meh place by dah Councilwoman."

Staying put until proper accommodations were made for the Chief to be hauled away he then sent a message to the Ehaui to make a visit. "Yah make sure yah escort doctor tah treat him eh?" Catching one man responsible for taking the Chief to his home Illya made sure they understood that a doctor would be caring for him. "Dey have good medicine et will help."

With the Chief on his way to his home and doctors preparing to treat him, Illya then walked over to the table and sat next to Kalizda. He left the Chief's seat open and then he made a short address to those there. "Dere es nut much satisfaction en dis victory. Et es acceptable and honorable en Chippequoti laws tah make challenge when one dat yah protect or yah agreed es insulted. Yah people are strong and fast, dey are warriors and dey understand dis law. Et es admirable. Yaryn act wit honor and he meet meh challenge. When I make dah challenge I was tinking only of Chippequoti law and I forget dat meh duty tah protect and serve es for all peoples of dah Alliance. Please, yah honor dah Councilwoman dis night enstead of meh. She act wit more honor. She accept dah challenge even when et es wrong and she dun look tah make revenge. I tink she has more honor en dis den any of us."

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

When they returned to the ship that night the Ehaui gave a report on the Aeriktan Chief. It sounded like there were several broken ribs and thankfully not any complications. Just that the proud little man would be sore for a good while. The Ehaui indicated it would likely take several weeks and the Chief had creams and treatments he could put on to ease the recovery. Illya was feeling a bit rotten. By all standards what he'd done was considered right, but couldn't quite justify it. There was a very good chance that Kalizda would come out and he knew it. Making that challenge was unfair because he had a horribly unfair advantage. They were not the enemy and he didn't have to entirely destroy them. These were just difficult people.

However, all the thoughts of regret were quickly gone when the doctor motioned for him to come get checked out. Illya had to roll his sleeve up so they could get a complete scan on his wrist and forearm. It showed some additional bruising and the doctor noted he wasn't moving very smoothly and his breathing was a bit more shallow than it should have been. "Seems like a lot of pain for just a hand. Sure nothing else happened? I'm thinking we need to check your arm. It probably needs looking at."

There was no hiding it now and Illya started to try and work his way out of his clothing. He felt a bit odd doing it. Illya stripped his pants off too and the doctor grimaced. "Jes scan meh." Grumbling as he gingerly sat on the table Illya waited for the doctor to run the full body scan and then give his news.

"Well, it looks like you broke your hand and a few ribs. Got plenty of bruising. Nothing too serious. I'll get the hand in a cast. We can do something removable since you've let it go so long and it's pretty badly swollen. Good news is, it is a stable fracture. Nothing that will require anything drastic. I'll just give you a local anesthetic and remember to keep your hand up." The doctor started to dig in the medical bay cupboards for a few things and then noticed Illya was still looking uncomfortable. "Well, what did you expect?"

"Dere's someting else," Illya said quietly. "Ets eh...well I got kicked en dah crotch."

"That happens a lot. Anything in particular alarming about it?" Replying in a bland voice the doctor turned to continue his search in the cabinets and pulled out the last of the material he needed.

Illya couldn't think of how else to describe it to the doctor. Finally out of desperation he pulled his boxers down and the doctor's eyebrows raised. For a moment the doctor said nothing and he set the materials he'd gathered down on the counter before he scratched his head and gave a whistle, "Wow, you really did get kicked hard. What did you, let an elephant kick you? Looks painful. Might cause some permanent damage for the way it looks. I'd think the primary concern is infertility. I can do a scan on it and give you some treatments. Not a whole lot we can do except....wow."

What the doctor said was less than comforting and Illya just nodded and let the doctor do as they felt they must. In the end the doctor seemed to think everything would be fine, but the hard work was going to have to go on hold. With his hand in an adjustable cast and 5 tubs of cream Illya was cleared to go. Grinning sheepishly at Kalizda he stood next to her as the doctor left.

"Well, I guess I'm fine." His back was still killing him and he didn't really feel any better than he did before the doctor came to visit, but at least he'd been looked at and had his hand put into a cast. "So, where are we heading out tah next?"
 
The crowd went very quiet when Illya refused to take Yaryn's seat. Vatu's eyes glittered curiously while Wareen's bearded cheek twitched with a faint hint a smile. "Then let it be so."

A cot of reeds and wood were brought around for Yaryn to be carried off the field and Wareen clapped her hands which signaled the next entertainment. A row of bearded dancers leapt over the fences from all directions. "In honor of our esteemed Councilwoman," Wareen said, "Whether or not you intended it, you did pass a coming of age test for the men and women of Aerikta. You will now see the completion of the ceremony and be officially honored. You went into the underbelly, and emerged anew."

Calysta was carried over the fence railing a placed in the center of the dancers. A woman with a full grown white beard appeared and began to chant in old Aeriktan before applying bright pink paint to her forehead in a series of designs. She let them dance around her feeling awkward and out of place. Like something wasn't quite right. They were simply doing this because it was part of their ceremony, not because they meant it beyond that. Still, she stood there and even helped lead the chase of a wild Wyreoi in the enclosure with a dancing hunting party until the animal was killed and the meat served raw on platters.

She returned to her spot with pink paint streaming with sweat stains down her face. If anything, she was proud of her husband. He was nationalistic and devoted to the Chippeqouti to a fault. There was nothing wrong with that, but it was the first time she had really heard him say anything to that effect. He was a brilliant political tactician, and while she was sure some of it might be for show, a large portion of it was not. He had not been satisfied in simply meeting out his own brand of justice.

Calysta put a hand over Illya's, not caring if everyone else could see. Her hands were sore from the bugs and her trek through the underbelly of Aerikta, but that didn't matter. More than anything she wanted to go relaxed with her family. Still, there were things to do and she mustered a somewhat pleased smile as the party continued.

********

Calysta laid back in the bed and crawled in beside Illya gingerly. It wasn't just for his sake but for her own too. Everything was just a little bit tender. When she finally eased in close, she put her hand on top of his uninjured one. "Ah. This is much better. That cave was so cold. You probably had to wait way longer than you should have. I got a bit lost...and I lost your watch. I'm sorry about that."

After they were finally in bed Illya felt a slight shiver as Kalizda crawled into bed with him. The cool are under the covers both soothed the bruises in combination with the cream and made his bones ache. She was apparently making up for the inability to have intimacy at the moment with chatter. Shifting to lay on his left side he met her gaze and studied her face carefully. "Et's nut dat hard tah get anoter watch. I jes order one from Ehaui and dey send et to meh. What happen when yah get lost?"


Calysta felt him roll over and to her surprise he asked more about the cave. He rarely asked about the daily activities like that or what things were like. She rolled to her own side and placed a hand carefully close, but not on his chest in the space between them. "I didn't have alot of light. I almost fell through a hole in the cave floor into the Wilds...then I found a light source down another tunnel and got sucked under water to another cavern." She shivered a little and sighed. "I'm not sure I acted with more honor, like you said. I was so angry. I used to feel this way alot when I was younger and I'm trying not to show it to them. Part of me wishes I could give them half of the issues they want to give to me and be vengeful." Clearing her throat, she blinked back a fear angry tears and then leaned close to kiss his cheek. "Anyways, I'm really proud you were with me tonight and for saying what you did."

She was back to sounding like herself and Illya sighed. “Well, I dun talk about yah feelings. Yah actions were better den mine. As for dat hole I tink maybe meh idea tah ask more es bad idea. Et makes meh sick feeling yah tink of dat. What else happen?”

He sighed a little and she wasn't sure if it was from tiredness, irritation, or a combination of the two. It made her hesitate a little on telling him more for a moment, then she swallowed and continued. He didn't like hearing about it maybe, but he'd asked. "Aye, you didn't say anything about feelings, I suppose and that hole nearly made me sick thinking about it too. I didn't even see it coming in the dark. The whirl pool and the water fall was how I lost my shoes...and my tunic...and the watch. I was worried I would lose Isla's necklace too, but it stayed on. Then I walked and climbed. When I got closer to the surface is when those wretched bugs were falling on me and chasing me." Instinctively, she reached up and shook her hair a little bit, still remembering the feeling a fat bodied bug crawling around on it with pencil legs. "You hauled me out of there before the rest of them could catch up with me. I wanted to take one of those bugs and throw it on Yaryn and watch him dance, but I knew it would be bad form. So, I just tossed the spear at him. At least it worked, yeah?"

Illya listened to Kalizda as she described more of the experience. "Dat was dangerous. I was jes glad dat yah come back. Et was long time tah stand out dere and worry for yah. Maybe yah know dis feeling better den meh. Et's very difficult. I jes dun know what es happening and I tink dere es times dat yah could die. I want tah be dere for yah and protect yah. Dis es how yah feel when I go tah mission witout yah?" Just waiting for her had been agonizing. "Ef yah had nut come up en time I was going down tah find yah and I would order Rezna tah go find yah too. Let's jes agree dat yah dun dose kinds of tings anymore. Et was too risky."


Calysta's little fingers slid up to her husband's cheek and her thumb grazed his jawline gently. "Mmhmm. The times that you go away are like that. I worry it's the last time I'll see you. And if it is, did I make my last words to you enough to know I loved you?" When he said something about doing risky things, she chuckled some and raised a brow. "That's a promise I'm not sure will work.. I'd have been coming after you if our roles were reversed. I'd come for you too. Maybe not by myself but I would come."

Having felt a fraction of what she did explained in a way why she hated it so much when he disappeared without telling her. It was a terrible feeling. Illya couldn't help his part of his job and she answered very much the same he would have to because of his work. "Aye, I understand. Et's jes nut position I want yah tah be en. Yah job as Councilwoman es dangerous and I wish I could keep yah away from all dangers. Yah jes dun go dying on meh eh?"


Calysta had never heard him talk quite like this. It was strange but not unwelcome. He sounded softer this way. Like she was getting a peek at him that she rarely saw when he was being tough. He wanted to protect her and she knew some of it was because he could bear to lose another agreed. "Smiling a little, she kept her delicate fingers on his broad cheek. "Aye. I don't plan on it, love. That goes for you too. You don't get to die on me." Her voice wavered on the words a little as her throat thickened. The thought of it scared her, but the only cure for that was just to live life and protect him as best she could. Leaning in, she kissed him then burrowed down with him into the covers. Her toes found his real leg after a small search but she didn't stick them directly on him for fear of hitting a bruise.

*******

Calysta stood next to Illya as the doctor left and glanced at her grinning husband carefully. She had an idea the doctor didn't just tell him he was fine, but she hadn't been in the room with him at the time to know. The Ehaui were usually good at giving her his medicine at any rate, and they had only given him creams which was at least an encouraging sign he only had the one broken arm. Calysta offered her gloved hand to Illya. "Aye," she smiled, "We're off to Siryanai soon. It will take a day to get there if not more depending on the weather. We'd best tell Wynry to get the ship protocol going."

She wouldn't be sad to leave Aerikta behind. It was beautiful in terms of nature but the people did not make her feel welcomed or at home, and yet, they were still her people. She wondered if Illya ever felt like she did. Maybe he never quite felt comfortable now that he knew of his own heritage. About that time, Dane passed by with Rezna and the two were engaged in a lively conversation about whether the giant bugs on Aerikta were, in fact, edible or not. Calysta thought of the Elite and how Illya was when he was with them. Perhaps he never had that out of place feeling when he was with the Elite.

She signaled to Wynry to start up the engines and get them into the air, but the woman called back on the intercom. "Councilwoman. I can't start up the engines. There's a group of people in the hot zone around the ship." Rezna and Dane paused in their conversation and went on high alert. Calysta peered out the window and found a group Aeriktans near the gang plank entrance. The crowd was headed by five figures on wyreoi back. Wareen sat up, straight backed and proud on her mount while Vatu grinned wildly, showing off his pointed teeth. To her surprise, Yaryn was there. He was on his Wyreoi with his chest wrapped tightly and his skin tinged slightly green, as if he was about to puke, but was too stubborn to commit to the act.

"I'm stepping outside," she warned her security. There weren't any blow guns in their hands and there did not appear to be any spears or weapons with the crowd. Shoving on her leather gloves, she worked her swollen hand inside to cover the bug bites and opened the hatch before stepping into the door way.

She walked down the gang plank, chin held high as she approached the 5 chiefs and their mounts. She could see the wyreoi's nostrils flaring and the fidgeted angrily. There was nothing angry about the Aeriktan chief's faces though.

"We came to say good bye," Wareen stated, "All of us." Her head turned to Yaryn and the other chiefs. "And to give you our blessing. The words from the feast last night have rung in the ears of the people and so, have met their minds of the chiefs. You faced an unfair task given to you for unfair reasons. You faced that task and defeated it even so. War is unfair. Before you came, it was believed that you were too weak to lead the home planet for the Alliance. I do believe that issue has been corrected."

Vatu laughed. "Oh it's been more than corrected, eh, Yaryn?" He gave Yaryn a nudge with his elbow and the man swayed in his saddle, looking as if he still might topple over. He grunted, shot Vatu and look then swallowed before speaking. "Half breed, ye may be but ye were brave. Ye have honor when things are difficult an' your...eh...agreed...does as well. I come t' say goodbye an' take back m' words." Yaryn slipped from his saddle onto the ground with a pained grunt before turning to Calysta. Then, slowly and painfully, he bent into a deep bow. "You have m' support honorable councilwoman. No more will I see th' half breed as dishonored or cowardly."

The other chiefs slid from their mounts, including Vatu who wiggled his eye brows playfully. They all bent into deep bows. When the chiefs bowed, the villagers behind them bowed low. Calysta looked around the simple dock, her face turning pink at the sudden change of heart. If only proving herself was so easy in other places.

She bowed in return, as was custom and mutual recognition, then rose up when they did. Yaryn struggled, but made it to an upright position with his fists clenched in what she imagined was incredible pain. He stepped forward and looked to Illya, offering his hand out to the man. "Ye recognized ye duty t' ye people. All of them. And now I recognize m' prejudice is with m' people but it is against m' duty t' th' Alliance. It is done. Do you accord?"
 
The next morning they weren't awake as early as Illya would have originally desired, but they were both tired. This resulted in a later than normal take off schedule. However, they had some time to get to the next place and a little flexibility scheduled into the tour. Already being stuck on the ship was driving the kids a little stir crazy. Thankfully their next location was going to be easier for the kids and it would make it much more enjoyable for everyone.

Instead of taking off right away there was an alert regarding the presence of persons within the danger zone for take off. Illya frowned some and he walked over to the gang plank on the ship with Kalizda. He wasn't about to let her go out by herself. Peering through the window in the doorway he could see that there were a lot of Aeriktans gathered and all the Chiefs. There was no telling if they were here to throw a fit, or give her a proper sending off. "Well, I'm going wit yah. Yah dun go out dere alone." Illya limped along with Kalizda and stepped out with her as she opened the door.

It was relieving and a little surprising to see that they had indeed come to say farewell and on good terms. Even the little Aeriktan that he was guilty of crushing and shown up. The little fellow looked a bit queasy, but anyone would if they were trying to ride one those ridiculous creatures after breaking so many bones.

At the end of the little farewell the troublesome Chief extended his hand to Illya. With a nod Illya took the Chief's much smaller hand in his and shook on it. "I accord. Dis es done and et dun need anymore talk." The last thing he wanted to do was start this thing up again. He would look like a horrible bully if he did and that wasn't his intention or desire. Slowly the people dispersed now that their business with him and Kalizda was done. Illya stood on the gang plank till they were all at a safe distance and then waved to them as he slowly worked his way back into the ship with Kalizda.

Once they were safely inside the ship again he sighed. "Alright, now we can go." The next place on the list was bitterly cold and he hated to think of what that may result in when his chest was already so sore.

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

All his creams were in the bathroom and Kalizda put them in the medicine cabinet so he could apply them as needed. The one for his middle section was definitely one he did by himself. Instead of trying to hide his middle region and hips Illya wore his boxers to bed. It was the easiest solution for now. He hated wearing them to bed, but it was just for a few weeks. Once he got into the bed at the usual time it somehow felt early if they weren't doing anything else. "Ugh...looked like dere was little weater dat Wynry said will take extra day tah avoid before we land. Et looks like we have time tah jes lay around tomorrow when dah kids have quiet time."

Calysta slid into bed along side Illya and let out a long sigh. It felt good to be in bed. She was tired and laying down next to Illya sounded nearly heavenly. Wiggling a little bit closer, her hands brushed against something silky and she frowned. What was that? "Are you wearing boxers?" she asked slightly confused.

"Eh, yeah. I wear boxers. Dah Ehaui tell meh dat I got kicked hard and I should let mehself rest. Dun need tah make too much activity wit dat part of meh." Illya explained it to her in a matter of fact sort of tone. "Dey jes be cautious and say I should nut have hard work for a few weeks. I'm fine. Yah hand es alright?" Illya decided to change the topic. "Dah wrapping es nut too tight?"

Calysta sat up some, her eyes wide. She had seen the bruises the stupid wyeroi left on him everywhere else. "You got kicked...there...?" He was trying to change the topic with her hand and she showed it to him. "It's fine...the wrapping is alright...why didn't you tell me you got kicked there?" Her brow furrowed in worry as she gazed at him. "The doctor said it was serious enough that you shouldn't have sex for awhile?"

Even if he'd tried to be honest, but minimize it Kalizda was getting all worried sounding. "Yeah, et's fine. I jes...well dah doctor jes tinks dat et's best nut tah have sex because yah know...well et grows and et would jes keep tings inflamed. Extra blood flow es nut what dah doctor tinks es good right now. So I wear boxers tah keep mehself from feeling like doing someting." Rubbing his forehead he half groaned. "Dun get so worried. Et's nut as bad as yah make et sound."

Calysta deflated some and he made it sound like she was making mountains out of mole hills. She rather liked that part of him along with the rest, so she was worried. What was so wrong with that? She sank back into the bed and plopped her head onto the pillow. It was better not to get him riled up. So, she stayed a bit further than she normally would, keeping her hand on his rather than scooting close unless he wanted it. A moment of quiet passed between them and she sighed. "I'll try not to rile you up too much then," she said. Another moment of quiet passed and her mind wandered a little. "You know, Aerikta went well. Better than I thought it would. I have you to thank for that. " She turned her head and looked at Illya. "I was expecting worse, given how many purists were there. I know they came to me before they left. What did you think of that?" She wanted to know, because her own feelings about it were in disarray.

At last she dropped the topic. Illya figured if he turned up the drama a notch without sounding angry that she might back off. Now she moved along and he was fine talking policy with her. "Yeah, ets good dat we dun kiss too much. I still like yah close." With a smile he pulled her in closer to himself. "I tink yah did dah hardest part. Yah did very well. Dun tink I played as big a part as yah make et sound. Dah rest of dat...Let meh tink a little more on et." Illya really did have to think about what he considered their farewell to be. "Well, et was maybe greeting yah could hope for, but et leaves strong note and et makes for good recommendation tah oters dat feel perhaps same way dey did."

She let herself be wrapped up with him and smiled as she slid a hand to his chest with a gentle touch. As wild as her feelings were at the moment, being quiet with Illya always seemed to make things feel a little better. "I think they came to me with good intentions and I wanted to believe it. I still felt out of place though. They are my people and I have to protect them and I do. I don't want anyone to suffer...not even a purist....not really. But I don't feel quite like I belong either. Is that strange?" She blushed a little at the same time. When had she been so willing to just talk about these things? When did it become okay to say how she was feeling? He probably didn't need her issues on top of his own.

The next question wasn't a bad one. In fact it was the kind of question he was glad she asked. Sometimes Kalizda was just too trusting. "No, I dun tink et's strange. Yah have duty, but yah should nut trust dem eiter. Dey did nut treat yah as dere own when yah arrive and dey change dere minds quickly. As fast dey change dere minds tah find favor for yah dey can change tah disfavor yah again."

She tilted her chin up to look at him a little better. "Aye, they did. I want to believe they changed for the better. Maybe I made things better for more people like me, but I suppose only their actions and time will tell that. At least this was some sort of step...I hope. Kaereleans aren't fickle in some ways but Aeriktans can be at times for certain." She bit her lip and chuckled some. "You know, I was a bit envious of you at one time."

Somehow despite the sad news he had to deliver to her she still had optimism. Her people as a whole were far more fickle than she would like to admit. In many ways Illya thought she had a rather generous view of her people. Then to top it off she stated she was envious of him at one point. It was impossible not to laugh at the mere mention of that. "What could yah possibly find envious about being meh?"

He laughed as if it were something absolutely ridiculous and she laughed a little too. "On the Ekram when you went to save your people. You had a people and they had you. You had somewhere you belonged and they stuck with you. It made me wish that I had that too. I wasn't raised on Terra, I didn't fit on Pyrta. Skycorp, for my time there, felt as close to a people and community as I had up to that point. I was envious you had somewhere you belonged, yeah?"

"Yeah, I suppose yah might feel jealous of dat. Dah Chippequoti are meh people." He couldn't deny that part. However there was so much more to being in a people than what she might have known. "Dere are hard tings about being en a people and being accepted by dem too. Et's nut always so easy."

She hadn't heard him speak like that before. Curiosity pepper her expression and she titled her head. "Oh? Like what?"

"Well...." Illya shrugged. "Stuff like dah pressure tah perform always. Meh fater dun let meh forget over years dat I had tah perform tah gain favor of meh people. He dun tell meh till dat night at dah hotel why he always push so hard. Made meh mad." He was feeling a little frustrated with Markus just thinking about it. Sometimes it made him feel odd, but for the most part he knew he had earned his place among his people especially after what Markus told him.

Calysta had to think back to what he was talking about. He was speaking of when he stayed in the hotel because Markus was sick. They'd had a conversation, but Illya had been too upset to tell her what it was about. Both of them had totally forgotten about it! She tried not to jolt up and tell him had forgotten. Instead, she tried to play it cool. "Why did he push you so hard?" She wanted to ask why he had been borderline sadistic, but that would only be inflammatory.

"Oh, et was someting along dah lines of fighting wit meh moter tah keep meh as baby. Dey made deal about ef I would perform at certain levels dat dah Chippequoti could trust meh despite meh evil blood. Dere was someting about ef I could nut perform dat dey would exile meh or kill meh. Et was why he pushed so hard and dey forbid any children and all people of speaking of dis. So, some know and some dun know." Illya sighed. "Dat was what made meh mad."

Calysta stayed silent for a long moment after he revealed this information, simply processing what she had been told. She found her grip had tightened protectively on his shoulder and it was making the pustules on her palm run through the bandage. "You were angry at your people, or your father?"

"Angry dat he would make such a big deal of saving meh and den jes push meh so hard and never tell meh. He did a lot of hard tings and I know dat he required more of meh den he did oters." Illya was starting to feel his chest burn with anger. "Dere was dis stuff as kid. He take meh tah dah war camps when I was only 9 for first time. He said et was tah show meh dah future of meh life and duty wit meh people. I was told tah get used tah dah hospitals because I could nut be afraid. So visited many dying men and injured wit meh fater."

Calysta listened to him. He had never talked so openly about Markus or his childhood and she wasn't about to stop him. "You were only nine when he took you to such a terrible place." She had grown up half in hospitals and there were horrible enough without the war. "He pushed you so hard. It wasn't fair for you either."

"Oh, I cry and meh mum fight wit him when he brings meh home. Den dey start fighting more and I try tah stop dem and he drinks a lot dat night. Et was difficult field experience for him too. He trew meh across dah room and I break meh first bone." Illya swallowed. "En many ways et was how I first learn about what meh life would be like. Soon he jes takes meh more often and I see less of meh mum."

Calysta slid her arm around him a little further and her hand instinctively and very gently stroked his shoulder. "It must have been awful. I know it still is...in some ways. You were stuck just like I was. I know what its like to be forced into some idea of what people think you are or should because of who you are. It isn't right. Will you ever tell the Elders you know?"

The little arm slid up his side and her hand pet his shoulder lightly. Bringing his hand up to rest over hers he shrugged some. "Well, I know meh duty. I dun feel dah need tah tell anyone dat I know dis. Et would shake many of dah younger Chippequoti and dose wit green eyes from Old Quoti would maybe be subject tah bad treatment."

"Aye, you do know your duty. You are proof that green eyes are not bad blood," she said, "I know that half breeds don't live to be my age, but knowing my younger self, and seeing the things that I saw....I suppose...I feel I have a duty to help them. It got me in trouble...with..." her throat tightened up, "It got me in trouble with Elian...but I thought maybe it might make things better. When I go to these places or do something, I know that I have to keep in mind that what I do reflects on all half breeds now. I'm the voice they've never had and I feel like I have this duty to use it. Things are unfair for me, but maybe someday what I do will lay the foundation for something better for all those children in the hospital. Most of them will be living alot longer now to reap the benefits too. The Chippeqouti are different .of course, your situation is different. I suppose that's why I asked."

Illya looked at her with a serious sort of expression. His eyebrows were pulled down slightly and he nodded. "Yah right dat many of dah children will look up to yah as model. Et es important dat yah act wit honor everywhere yah go. Soon dey will be welcome many places. I try tah keep meh blood secret because wit et secret dere are many more dat will accept meh defense of dose wit mixed blood."

Did he worry that she would say something about his heritage. "Aye. I know. I wouldn't want you to give away that secret. Not everyone knows green eyes means you have Tannas though. That is your secret to share or not, your right to let people know, and not mine. You shouldn't have to."

"Tannas es still looked down on even en dah Alliance. I tink many would nut trust meh ef dey tink dat I have Tannas. Like many called yah sickly, I dun like et when many would say I have evil blood. Et es jes fact. Still nut one dat I like. Because I earn respect of meh people dey only use term en historical or academic reference. At least yah can outlive sickly claim." Giving Kalizda a wink he craned his neck down slightly so he could kiss her on the lips. "Now yah know one ting I'm jealous of."

Calysta could tell he was bringing the conversation to something less serious when he kissed her. The Tannas were not trusted by many in the Alliance and they hadn't been very forthcoming on attempting to do so despite her efforts. She didn't mentioned that though. It was a conversation for a different time. She let him lighten the mood and smirked a little when he winked at her. "Oh? There's more than one thing?"

"Mmmhmmmm." Illya smirked and he kissed her again. "I tink et will be mystery for yah tah wonder on. Et es wonderful ting about yah. Now yah jes plagued wit having tah tink of all dah good tings about yahself."

"Ooh you," she said, her eyes narrowing accusatorily before she because to laugh and kissed him one more time. "One thing is for certain and it's this." She gave him a few more gentle pecks and even winked at him. "I love you."

"I love yah too." Illya managed to slur the words in Kaerelean. Grunting a little he adjusted to be closer to her and then suggested, "We should lay like yah tried oter night. Yah closer dat way. Et's comfortable tah sleep eh?"

Calysta smiled when he spoke to her in terribly accented Kaerelean. His accent would be forever terrible, but she didn't mind. He made the suggestion that they lay together like the night before and she nodded almost eager. It had not just been amazing for sex from that position but also very comfortable to fall asleep in. "Aye, I like that idea." Without delay, she rolled over and carefully shimmied her back up to his belly until he decided to tuck her the rest of the way. "You like this way too, yeah? I would I would I brought it up sooner."

It was good to see that she liked the position for snuggling too. "Ets good way tah sleep. We jes do dis most nights eh?" He tended to sleep on his side anyway since it was easier to breath and the he didn't run the chance of making his right side as sore. "Yah have very good idea wit dis."

She felt his arm wrap around her snugly and her tiny toes found themselves tuck to his good leg. She luxuriated in the warmth. A sigh of contentment escaped her and she smiled when he mentioned do it most night. "We should do it most nights, its warm and we're close. It..feels good. When you're up to it we can try what you suggested the other night too."

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

Having a few days of travel and some extra time due to weather was not unwelcome. Illya wasn't too fond of the idea of hitting the cold continent any faster than they had to. A ding sounded on Illya's pad and he stopped doing the dishes long enough to dry his hands off before grabbing his pad out of the pocket on his cargo pants. It was a message from Ehud and it was marked urgent.

An urgent message from Ehud was not a good sign and Illya immediately opened the message and began to read. There were 157 known assassins that the Federation had sent out to all Alliance areas and territories. The list of names was included with the message and a few had identifying images. There were around 50 that Ehud estimated to have been sent in addition to that they didn't have any information on and then an unknown number of sleeper agents.

The primary threat with the sleeper agents is the unknown factors. They could have been placed anywhere, they are not easily identified as they have been living in the Alliance territory for an unknown number of years. They are identified by number rather than name and we have no further information. There is a possibility that a high number of them will no longer be loyal to the Federation. However, we cannot know how many will respond to their activation. What I have been able to intercept is that Illya Blackwolf is the primary target with Calysta Marie Monroe listed as a secondary target.

Illya stared at the message for a long time. he had the numbers and threat. This was a pretty big push by the Federation. Maybe he would get lucky and maybe not. They had a few courses of action that they could take, but it would have to be soon. Closing the message he shoved his pad back into his cargo pant pocket and then finished the dishes.

After the kids were all down for a nap or in their rooms for quiet time Illya went to the bedroom with Kalizda. "We have some bad news." Opening the encrypted message he let Kalizda read it for herself. "I would nut recommend dat yah cancel yah tour. We can share dah names and data regarding dah potential assassins and put all locations on alert. Dey may be able to capture dah majority and make et much safer. Dere es always risk of assassination, but dah Federation es making bold move. Dis es dere best shot and dey will take et now, or 50 years from now."
 
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When Illya walked in the room and announced he had bad news, Calysta expected a problem with the ship, a new media article, or he had a complication with one of his injuries. She had expected Dane had broken something or Rezna had clogged the toilet. One of the kids was ill, maybe? What she has not expected was him to hand over a message announcing that no less than 200 or so Federation assassins all activated to murder them in front of entire Alliance. She swallowed down bitter tasting bile and let out a slow breath. "Aye. I'd say that was bad news, Illya " Nodding slowly to herself, she lowered the pad. "What precautions do you recommend? Would it be better for you to stay on the ship? I'm only the secondary target. A bonus at best. They won't come after me alone when there's you around to up the ante. They only have one cover to blow."



The comment from Kalizda brought a laugh from Illya. He couldn't help himself. "I guess bad news was maybe understatement." She was asking for precautions and Illya took a deep breath. "We dun want tah remove meh from dah scene. Et gives divided and strange appearance for dah people of dah Alliance. Et will also make dah ship and our children bigger target. Dey will assume I dun leave dah ship. I keep making appearances wit yah. Dane will go on alert and he will watch meh little more. Dis es nut unexpected. I am surprised dat dis news did nut come sooner. We will have more added tah dah security team. I will have anoter Elite member come wit. Mihael es good choice and he does well communicating wit public. We will have anoter security person of yah choosing for yahself and den meh sister. Asha said she would come wit her baby and be security for dah children. We can do et dis way. Den we give information to dah leaders of Alliance and have dem be on alert for strangers and unusual activity. Dis should get rid of most troubles. Ef we take anoter precaution we would den..." Illya paused mid sentence and stared at seemingly nothing for nearly a minute and he swayed slightly until he felt Kalizda push to keep him sitting upright. "Oh we uh...have secondary precaution of eh...having at least 4-6 Elite go tah random locations rotating each day. Dis will distract dah Federation and help flush out dose we dun know about and can't find."(edited)


Illya acted as if this was perfectly expected and began to explain his plans in further detail and it seemed like he had already worked it out without her. Part of her understood why. He was still security chief on Silver Mountain after all. It sounded as if Asha was going to join them and Mihael. That meant they were going to need to rearrange a few sleeping spots on the ship and now she was hesitant to leave her father on the colonies too. Illya began to sway oddly and she caught his shoulder, trying to keep him upright. He started to talk again as if it hadn't happened and she frowned. "Illya, are you dizzy?"

"Hmmm...No, I'm nut dizzy. Why are yah asking?" Illya frowned at her and the frown gradually turned to a grin. "Are yah trying tah play joke wit meh?" She was looking at him so strangely that he wasn't sure what to make of her reaction. "So eh...what did yah tink of dah possible solutions?"(edited)


Calysta stared at him for a long moment. Had he not even realized what he had been doing? He was already moving on as if nothing was wrong. Calysta slowly let him go and kept her eyes on him. "People will notice the additional security and might theorize its because of the events on Kinte, but they can all go jump off the Edge if they want to say something about it. I would rather you be safe. If you think Mihael and Asha are the best way then bring them. I will request someone as well. We will rearrange the living situations and it will be fine. Yeah? We've had people after us. Half the galaxy before. We can handle some Federation thugs." She offered Illya a small, encouraging smile. "I may also have something that may help us on our next stop."

"Dah oter continent leaders would know why dah extra security. Dey would know dat dere are assassins. People can ask and yah jes say dat yah received trets and dat yah choose tah continue dah tour, but have taken precaution tah have extra security." When she mentioned some additional help Illya grinned at her. "What es dah ting yah have en mind?"

Calysta sat up a little and looked at her husband. "Well, the place we are going to is very remote. They would notice an outsider moving in within the last few years. Maybe even longer. They are very tight knit. I could probably ask the Elder there to give me all the names of people who have moved there or are not in the traditional families. It may make it easier to spot an agent there."


Nodding a little Illya answered, "Dat would be helpful. Wherever dah local peoples can give us assistance for dis et will help." Flopping back he laid on the bed and let out a puff of air. "Oooh, wasn't meh best idea." His ribs throbbed with the impact on the mattress. "So eh...any oter taughts?"

Calysta felt strange. As if it were all happening and not happening a the same time. She leaned over to the bedside table and pulled out his muscle relaxer. "I can change up the venues. Less space in the open and more securable locations. I will also tell dad that leaving him on the colonies like he wants isn't an option anymore."

Taking the muscle relaxer from Kalizda Illya popped it in his mouth and swallowed it without question. He usually let her hand him whatever she thought he needed. Sometimes he forgot and he only asked when it was bad. "Yah dad can still go ef he wants. I jes have Bahn meet him dere. Bahn es good pilot too and he could take care of yah dad eh? Oh, I tink changing dah venues would help too."(edited)

Calysta nodded and laid down next to Illya feeling overwhelmed. "I'll see to it that its done tomorrow and I will have the Alliance looking out for people on the move. I will also get my guard choice picked out. I think I have just the person too." She was going over it all in her head and suddenly felt nauseous. "I'll be right back," she mumbled before shuffling into the bathroom. She wretched before she could get the toilet seat up and ended up vomiting into the trash can instead.

Suddenly Kalizda was getting restless and Illya sat up as she dashed for the bathroom. She didn't even close the door and he could see she was puking. Carefully getting to his feet he wandered over to the bathroom doorway. "Are yah alright? Should we call doctor?"(edited)

Calysta heaved a final time into the trash can and slouched over the rim, grasping at it with shaking hands. "No..." she choked out, "I'm alright." Wiping her mouth, she stood up and leaned over the sink to wash her face with cool water. "It was probably just stress mixed with these stupid bug stings making me a bit feverish."

"Eh..." Illya stepped into the bathroom and picked up the bucket with the vomit in it. He swirled it around a few times to see if there was anything immediately alarming looking about it and then dumped it into the toilet before flushing it. "Sorreh yah dun feel good. Maybe yah jes lay down and I get yah some sooting tea. Ef yah dun feel better soon we call dah Ehuai."

Calysta mustered a nod of agreement and stripped out of her tunic along with her pants. "Aye...we'll work on our plans too." One of the bug stings was oozing again and she started to clean and she started to unravel then linens to clean it off again.
April 1, 2021

It was obvious the bug stings were still bothering her and they might for a few days. "Here, yah trow dose away en dah trash by meh side of dah bed." Rinsing out the bathroom garbage Illya made sure it was clean enough to use without having little chunks of vomit dry in it. While he was in the bathroom he washed his hands and got more supplies to clean her bug bite wounds, treat them with some oils and dress them again. By the time he came back to the bed with all the stuff she needed Kalizda had already taken all the dressings off and she was wiping the skin. "Well, et dun look a lot better yet. I tink et will look better soon eh?" Sitting on the bed next to her he began to wipe gently at the wounds with a clean, moist cloth.

Calysta blushes fiercely even while feeling nauseated. Who was she that she would get sick over a few bug bites? She nodded, still feeling the bitter bile on her tongue, and tossed the old puss soaked linens in the garbage before dabbing at them. "Damned bugs..."she grumbled to herself. Here Illya was with far more extensive wounds and she was all weak and sick because of a few bug bites. Illya returned and helped her dress up the half dollar sized pustule marks with oils and more cloth. Some of the oils stung but she didn't make a move or sound as he dressed them. Instead she watched him carefully and when he was done, she sighed a little and cupped his broad cheek in her small hand. "Even if you wore your body armor it doesn't protect your head," she mumbled.

"Dat one looks sore." Illya commented at one of the larger pustules. Bringing her hand closer to his face and then moving it further away he frowned some and examined it and then tilted the hand one way and then another. "Mmmm. Et looks like ets getting better." As he finished cleaning the wounds he gently treated the wraps and then covered her wounds again. Just as he finished he felt Kalizda grab his face and he met her steely little grey eyes. "Eh, we know meh head es hard."

Calysta looked at him carefully, studying his eyes. She had looked into those eyes quite alot in the last ten years and sometimes those eyes had looked back at her with no recognition. "Aye. But not against the kinds of things they use now. It doesn't do any good to worry. I just wish I could do more than provide information to protect you. Hard head or not."

The statement Kalizda made was enough that Illya knew she was very worried. "Et will be ok. Sometimes as leaders we have tah take some risks tah show our people dat we will nut be afraid of dah Federation. Dis es part of defeating dem. Meh fater faced dem, was poisoned by dem and survived. He still stand strong many years later. I will stand up jes as long as I can. I will see dah end of dis war."

Calysta swallowed and her throat tightened some before she slid her hand from his cheek and gently to his chest. "We will see the end. Together. We're even stronger that way." Smiling some, she stepped closer and hugged him lightly. "Two hard heads are better than one, yeah?"

A grin spread across Illya's face and he winked at her. "Yeah, I tink yah hard head wit mine es good." He was still nervous about the volume of assassins and the fact that they knew he had to show up sooner or later. "We jes keep on being hard headed and dah Federation won't know what tah do wit us."

Calysta managed and light chuckle and smiled a little as she hugged him. "Aye. We'll out stubborn them." Kissing his cheek she stepped back some. "I'll brush my teeth and then make some tea for us, yeah?"

"Mmm...yah have tea wit meh?" Illya was a little surprised. Usually she made his tea and called it good. "Yah know et's still jes afternoon right?" Perhaps she was very tired, or she thought he was very sore. She just gave him a muscle relaxer a few minutes ago.

"Aye," she said, "I think I'm just tired. Maybe we'll have normal tea together and I will message Delegate Huzysire. He should be able to get me the information we need. And will we need to stop by Pyrta to pick up the extra guards you mentioned? Also, the kids are expecting a movie night tonight. I made you honorary hologram referee too. So, expect Lohgan, Cypher and Rose to be giving you their pitches on what to watch."

Kalizda explained a bit more and Illya grinned. "Nah, we dun need tah pick dem up. Dey will meet us at dah next location ef I ask dem to." As for the bit about the honorary hologram referee Illya tilted his head to the side with a grin on his face. "Oooh, I see. Well, I tink dis makes et easy. None of dem get tah peck. I jes decide because dere are too many and dey will fight. We watch someting informational about where we are going and we learn about dah peoples."

Calysta laughed and shook her head. "Ooh Rose is going to fuss about that. Some romantic comedy...The Hologram...I think its called...came out and she missed the opening because of the tour. She wanted to rent that one. Be prepared for that one."

"Dat's easy tah fex. I will let her watch dis romantic comedy wit meh and yah dere. Dis will be after dah little ones are put tah bed. I am curious what meh oldest tinks es such big deal tah watch. Et can't be nearly as bad as Wild Ways." Illya grinned at Kalizda. "Yah want some dried Omne fruit and nuts wit dah hologram?"

Things felt gloriously normal for a moment when she talked about the kids with Illya. When had she ever wished for normalcy? She chuckled. "I'm told its one of those sappy tear jerkers so you may want to bring some tissues for Rose with the fruit and nuts," she grinned, "We should have plenty in the kitchen. Unless Rezna and Cypher found them, in which case we might be out of luck."


A broad grin crossed Illya's face. "Oh we got snacks alright." He wandered into the closet and pulled out one of his ammunition buckets. It was labeled defective and then he opened it. "I saved extra here just tah be sure." As for the tissues that wasn't going to be a problem. "We're set." Wiggling his eyebrows at her he reached into the bucket and got a handful for both of them to share. "Might as well enjoy a little bit of meh secret smuggle stash."


Calysta stared at Illya in amusement. Those buckets had been on the ship for years and she had never once questions what was in them until the moment he popped the top off and showed off an entire bucket of mixed nuts and fruits. She covered her mouth her bandaged hands and started giggling as he offered her a handful to share. This was her Chip. Wild, sweet, funny and just a hair unpredictable. Chuckling, she shook her head. "Aye, let me brush my teeth first."

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

Dinner time rolled around and Calysta cooked along side Wynry who insisted on cooking up something very Kaerelean. "Have you ever had fried beans and dough with nyte beast?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Ah, no," Calysta admitted, "I grew up eating alot of Terran food. Is it something you make regularly?"

Wynry grinned, "Oh yeah. It's a homebrew recipe on Kinte."

The tiny blonde woman shuffled her off like a mother hen and took over the cooking wordlessly. Rezna grinned and rubbed her belly. "You'd better make plenty. I'm starving."

Lohgan looked at Rezna and proceeded to poke the woman's belly with a snort. "Aren't yah always hungry?"

Rezna's eyes sparked and she gave Lohgan a wolfish grin. "Aye and my favorite food is little goblins!" Rezna began to growl until Lohgan was squealing and running off. The ruckus set off the pack of dogs and they too went howling through the ship. The Udine woman gave a hearty laugh and leaned back some in her seat. "Ah! I heard its movie night, eh? I've been told by a very reliable source that Indiana Jones is the best one."

She looked at Illya and Calysta with a shrug. "I don't know who the hell she is, but with a name like that sounds interesting."

Calysta chuckled and shook her head as she drank from her minty tasting tea. It was settling her stomach along with the knowledge she had already sent out a message to the Seryian delegate and made all the arrangements to accomodate their additional security. She had done as much as they could do for now. "I left that up to the movie referee to decide."

As she predicted, a great uproar was made about the movie selections. Cypher wanted an old Terran movie called Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Rose insisted on The Hologram, and Lohgan was advocating for My Little Tyrei where all the fearsome cats were reduced to kitten size and cast in all colors of the rainbow. The twins were simply happy to have Mam and Dah in the same place at the same time. Edgar was starting to really talk but Tomas stayed some what quiet. She had been working on his words with him, but she has a concern he might be developing some speech issues. He hesitated before words sometimes and struggled to start words when he didn't. It was something she had been working with him on during the evening times until the tour started.

At this point, here entire family along with Rezna, Wynry and Dane, were scattered about the living room waiting for their chosen feature film began. It was a documentary about their next stop, Seyria. She leaned back with Tomas tucked under one arm and Cypher wiggled between her feet. Rose sat in the chair to the left and occasionally flicked the screen on her pad. It wasn't her movie, and so she wouldn't be overly interested, but she wasn't going to go sulk over Sam in her room. That was an improvement from the days before.

Calysta leaned her head back as the hologram began to real and the room filled with snow mounds and slowly falling flakes along with mountains in the background. "Seyria...the northern most continent of Kaereal...this remote landmass boasts the only snowfall available in Kaereal's otherwise temperate climate and with it, comes a variety of unique wild life, rich culture, and mysterious history."

The hologram swiveled to a tiny snow falcon flitting among the trees in pursuit of a smaller creature that looked like a cross between a cat and a rabbit. The falcon's head swiveled and it dove, claws extended toward the white furry creature with light grey spots. "Duszneyr are hard to spot in the snow, and this snow cryn is out of luck..." Duszneyr bounded away, ears laid flat and nose twitching. "This the continent where the Duszneyr, or 'long-eared-warm-cat' are found. In ancient times their fur was the fashion statement of the indigenous peoples who used the water repellant and yet fluffy furs as coats and other garments. Their harvesting is highly regulated to keep the population safe from over harvesting...."

The movie progressed to talking about the locals. "Pale skinned from their lack of sunlight have caused an almost an almost albino quality to their complexion.....those born in the community, live, and often die without stepping outside of their home continent. They are a tight knit community and work well off of almost entirely communal system. Only within the last 200 years have they allowed outsiders to truly visit and stay among the locals. Their closed of nature was due in part to the weather which stays difficult to traverse during the summer months, and impossible to traverse during the winter months where temperatures can reach well below the negatives."

Images shifted around them showing the topography and the small, but sturdy village that housed the entire population. There was a single, large resort that travelers could use and all of the amenities were local style, including communal dining. The screen shifted and began talking about the history. "Seyria is the only continent where Lyr the Conquerer attempted to expand his empire and failed. The man himself along with his army found themselves arriving too close to winter and after his flyer crashed, taking a portion of his reserves of soldiers and food, the Emperor was stranded. Several bloody battles were fought against the Seyrian hunters and the Rey's but Lyr and his army ultimately succumbed to the cold on the battle field and can be seen on clear days through permafrost."

They watched the rest of the hour long special and by that point the twins were dozing and it was bed time for them. Illya had promised rose they would do a double feature with The Hologram as the next movie to watch. This time Rose's pad was down and she watched with rapt attention as the charming, but clearly temperamental hero tried to make his long beloved wife remember who he was by showing her holograms of their life together every day. They had many funny and memorable moments with the ups and downs of their relationships. He even went off to serve in the fleet for awhile and returned after she feared him to be dead. They died together from old age at the end. Rose sniffled into a tissue and Calysta stared at the rolling holographic edits feeling uncomfortable.

"Wasn't it romantic!" Rose cried thickly as she dabbed her eyes.

Calysta's brow furrowed and she tried to think of something to say. "It was....memorable..."

Rezna laughed, breaking the tension. "I've never seen a 'romantic comedy' but eh...I the ending was the best part." Then she hauled herself out of the chair and stretched, then bid them goodnight, leaving them all to wonder if the ending was the best part because it was emotional high point or because it was generally the end of the movie.
 
The meal that Wynry was making didn't sound bad, but Illya wasn't sure he'd ever had it either. However, the young lady seemed to be quite pleased with herself and it was perhaps a little touch of home. She was a long way from home now and it was her first real commission. Wynry was a good pilot and she needed a chance with some safe people to grow a little bit. Besides, Kalizda could take over if something happened to Wynry and if all else failed Illya, Rose and Dane could fly at least passably well. Illya didn't plan on flying unless it was a life or death situation and no one else was available to fly. He really didn't know that his flying was passable anymore.

Rezna was standing by and Illya realized they were all crowding the galley. It was fine that she chased the kids out with her threat of eating them. She wouldn't actually do it. Illya looked at her and shrugged. "Maybe I like tah eat Udines. Yah better get yah iron skin out of here. We jes clogging up dah galley. Everyone get out and let Wynry do her ting." Winking at Kalizda he stepped out of the galley with her.

When the meal was finally ready the entire group filtered back into the galley and Illya helped Kalizda set the table. Illya stared into the pan of fried beans and bread. It was a strange looking dish for sure. The kettle of Nyte beast did smell good though. "Dis smells very good." With an approving grin he served up the meat first for everyone and then cut into the odd side dishes and served it to the others as well.

As it was expected, the meat was delicious and Illya almost hummed with each bite. Dane was far more obvious in his approval and he adjusted his seating to be closer to his plate and barely grunted a thanks between his large mouths full of food. By the time he swallowed he had another bite already on his silverware and he thrust it into his mouth. His food was gone quickly and he soaked up any of the juices left from the food with the bread and then served himself a little more food.

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

The opening of the movie was almost unbearably mushy. Illya blinked a few times and he looked over at Kalizda. Surely she couldn't be enjoying this, could she? Illya glanced at his watch and realized they were only 10 minutes in. This was far from romantic. There wasn't any good reason for most of what happened. Then to make matters worse he was fairly sure that the haphazard relationship would be miserable, but somehow they were fine. All of it looked like a recipe for disaster. Somehow it reminded him more of a sick sort of story. As the movie drug on for another whole 7 minutes Illya felt as if he might fall asleep and then somehow there was a terrible accident.

Dane groaned in dismay. "Awe...c'mon. Really?" His protest earned him a sharp look from Rose and he shrugged before settling deeper into the couch.

It was almost painful to watch the hologram. Illya cringed when the woman woke and didn't seem to know who the people were around her. Did Rose think this was some kind of joke? Glancing at his oldest daughter he could see she was completely drawn into the film and she seemed to be totally unaware of the fact that it was uncomfortable at best. He could feel Kalizda leaning into him a little more and Illya wrapped an arm around her protectively and pulled her a bit closer to himself.

There were pieces that for Illya were almost frustrating to see. Somehow it was supposed to be funny when the woman was shown images of her first wedding day. It wasn't something that you looked at and asked a lot about. This was something you found strange and a little creepy. Something you didn't just trust a complete stranger about. Not that the man was a stranger, but as far as she was concerned he was. What was even worse was the immediate blooming of lust or something of the sort.

A snort sounded from Dane as the couple engaged in a night of sheet scorching passion. "Pfft." A grin came to his face and he busted out laughing as the scene evolved in front of them. "Ooh et's awkward en real life when yah have sex wit stranger. Very strange." Of course the comment earned him some looks and he realized Illya wasn't even born when he got agreed. This story needed a little explaining. "I was promised tah a girl about tree years younger den meh. So, I dun actually find much interest in her growing up. I dun know her and I dun spend time wit her and I jes hoped maybe she would nut want meh when et came time for her tah choose. Had a few oters girls pecked out dat I liked ef she chose nut tah ask meh. Well, she asked meh, so I was agreed. First time dun look anyting like dat. Much more strange." Smirking a bit he turned his face back toward the screen and about keeled over laughing with the morning scene. "Dah man has no sheets. She steels dem all and covers herself? Why so worried now? Yah already have sex."

Even though the story was itself awful, Illya couldn't help snickering once or twice at Dane's loud and rather realistic comments. The sheets really didn't make any sense. Why would a woman get all wrapped up like that and take all the sheets off the bed. "I tink I would take dem back. Why freeze a man so early in dah morning and den leave?"

Both men erupted into further laughter when the guy in the show stood up and he was in his boxers. "Ooh, no. Boxers dun go on from moment I get en bed till I get out." Illya commented and Dane nodded in agreement.

Rose looked at them both with wide eyes and scrunched up her nose. "Eeew..."

Despite his daughter's reaction Illya continued to laugh. He couldn't help himself. Even if he didn't approve of Sam because Sam was a Pithian, she was going to discover than sleeping naked was certainly a man's preference. This show couldn't have been further from the truth when it showed him dressed up so modestly in his boxers.

By the end of the film Rose was misty eyed and seemed quite pleased with the story. Dane grunted, "I'm glad et was free. Wouldn't pay for dat and Ori would never subject meh tah someting like dis."

Shooting Dane a look Illya shook his head. Dane had only 3 sons and he wouldn't know that to a girl this was a horrible statement. As Rose puffed up Illya gently turned her away from Dane. "Et was fine. Nut someting I would watch for mehself, but I'm guy eh? We watch oter tings usually." That seemed to smooth things over well enough and he gave her a little hug. "Alright, now yah off tah bed."

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

Illya waited till they were getting ready for bed in their own room before he said anything. "Dat hologram was terrible. Es dis what girls her age watch?"

Calysta sat on the bed and began tugging off her tall boots. That movie had left her feeling odd and with unpleasant memories burbling around the edges of her mind. Illya came in behind her and closed the door before promptly announcing his thoughts on the matter. "Aye, afraid so." She began pulling off her belt before untying her tunic. "It really was terrible. That was considered...romantic? It was...it was...I dunno. Uncomfortable."

Eyes widening some Illya listened to Kalizda respond that girls did indeed find it romantic. "Dis es nut romantic at all. Besides et's nut funny or nice when yah see images of yahself dat yah have no memory of. Et's very strange and ets a little scary."

Calysta paused in her bra and leggings as Illya stared at her with wide eyes of astonishment. "No," she said quietly, "No, I suppose it isn't funny or nice." More unpleasant memories gurgled up and she swallowed a little. "Is it scary because it doesn't feel like yourself standing there?"

"No, yah know dat yah are en real place now, but everyting seems tah be set up. Like yah want tah check autenticty of holograms and conduct secret investigation. Et es like living en conspiracy of sorts. Den yah see disappointment and frustration when people look at yah. Maybe some say dey are nut frusrtated or disappointed, but yah know dey lie. Dey are upset about someting and yah dun understand why." Illya sighed and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Den yah jes start feeling crazy when yah start tinking yah might remember tings and yah find out yah dun remember any of et right."

She swallowed again as he spoke and watched as he began unbuttoning his shirt. They weren't talking about the movie anymore and she knew it. "What was the worst part of it?"

Illya pulled his shirt out of the top of his pants as he struggled with the last few buttons. He could unbutton the shirt easier with one of his hands broken than buttoning the shirt. "Dah worst es when yah finally decide dat no matter what yah tink yah remember et doesn't matter anymore and yah jes try tah remember every day. Dah missing time es like ghost. Yah still see disappointment every day. Yah know people want yah tah remember someting and yah try harder all dah time and et jes dun come. Finally, yah want et bad enough yah jes start tah say yah remember tings because at least yah nut stared at so much. Maybe yah remember en time and maybe nut." Shrugging he let the shirt fall to the floor and shifted to sit on the bed next to her. "Dah lady was too relaxed tah be real en dat hologram."

Calysta had forgotten all about her leggings as she listened to Illya speak, but those memories were more than lurking now. She remembered that blank, almost cold stare Illya had given her in the moon shadow when he met her all over again. "Aye. It wasn't real Her eyes weren't lost..." Shaking her head, Calysta cleared her throat and stripped off her pants before fumbling with the bra. "It would be hard to feel like you dissapointed people all the time. I would be frustrated too. I'm sure they didn't mean to make you feel that way, yeah?"

"I dun know." Illya glanced at her. "Some dun care ef yah know dey are disappointed and frustrated. Some tink et will help yah remember faster." There was a little bit that stood out him in what she'd said and Illya decided to ask about it. "Yah say her eyes are nut lost. Dis means dat yah see when person loses memory dat dey are lost to yah for time?"

She remembered how Markus yelled at Illya again and again, hoping that would some how make it easier for him to remember. "I should have said something..." she mumbled under her breath. Her eyes were trained on the floor because that was the easiest place to look for now. "That's...um...that's one way of saying it. When someone looks at your one way, with warmth and love...and the next time they see you their eyes are...cold, confused, afraid...you don't forget it. Ever. The woman's eyes...they weren't lost. She looked at him the same. I suppose that's supposed to be romantic, but that's not what it looks like at all."

"Dis es why yah worry about meh hard head eh? Yah dun want meh eyes tah be cold again." Illya nudged her slightly. "Long as dey are connected tah meh brain I tink dey will always warm up looking at yah."

She smiled a little as he nudged her and she finally looked up at him, her grey eyes a little misty. "Aye, even if it took awhile for them to warm up again. Even if you didn't remember...we have new memories now, yeah? I'd hate to lose them again."

"I tink we have most of dah old memories too. Dey come back to meh. Maybe a little messed up, but dis means I get tah make up dah parts I dun remember. Nut such a bad deal?" Chuckling some he leaned in closer and kissed her cheek. "I find out how much yah love meh. I experience first kiss wit yah again. Still nut so romantic..." Frowning a little he scooted a bit closer to her and whispered in her ear. "Yah tell meh dah worries dat yah have about dis eh? I see dah hologram upset yah."

Calysta chuckled and slid her other hand around his waist, then kissed him on the cheek. "That's because I have said it before when you came home," she mused, "I think you might find the story interesting, but it's alright if you don't want me to tell you, yeah?"

"Oh well...." Illya smirked some and he leaned in for a kiss. Instead of actually kissing her he moved his lips over to her ear and whispered to her. "Now yah make meh want tah know. Tell meh dis story."

He hadn't liked hearing stories about himself when he lost his memory. She understood why that was, at least in part. It all felt as if it was some sort of stage play or cover to him. There was no doubt why he wouldn't want to hear more stories about a time he couldn't remember. She was surprised at his whispered answer and almost asked if he was sure. He wouldn't have asked if he wasn't though. His breath tickled her ear and it made her want to share more than a story with him, but that could wait for awhile. Of course, that didn't mean they couldnt be comfortable. She smiled and shimmied the rest of the way out of her bra before inviting him lay beside her where she could snuggle him a little. Once he was comfortable, she bit her lip and thought over the story. "Ah...where to start...Hmm....We had just left Quoti, yeah? We heard a frequency that announced I was an assassin, yeah? And you were grumpy over it, so we weren't in the best of terms. But, I took my ship...heh...it's funny that I still miss that little scout ship sometimes...and I went to find my flight partner. He had gotten ill the day before I crashed on your planet and I taken him to a nearby outpost to a hospital. I was worried whoever had framed me, my try to hurt him. I left you and the ship to go into the hospital. It turns out he had been killed too and I was a wanted woman after all. I raced back to the ship, but I got caught by a bounty hunter. One of the best actually. He tasered me and snatched me up. I was out of it completely, but then you came out of the ship..."

"You stopped him from taking me and you beat him. He was from that mineral race...the Geodians. He was solid rock but you didn't back down. You were hurt in the fight too but we managed to make it back onboard the Gylcryn. I had never seen anything like it." She looked at him a blushed a little. "It wasn't what you did that got my attention so much as what you said at the time. You told me I should never go alone from then on. And I never had to. You cared enough to come back for me. You barely knew me or tolerated me for that matter. I was hardly a decent investment in that little black book of yours either, but you made sure I didn't go alone. Where you go, I go. That was our rule."

Illya smiled as she got into the story. He remembered some of the event, but he didn't recall the conversation. "I remember dis fight. Meh arm was very sore and den I try tah shoot him. Bad idea. Dah bullet bounced off him and got meh en dah shoulder." Snuggling next to her a little tighter he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Eventually we need tah take our pants off." With a grin he leaned over her slightly and kissed her before settling into more a spooning position again. "Yah still dun understand dah black books and honor of dah Chippequoti. Ef someone owes yah debt and dey work off debt en person den yah responsible for dere well being and provision. Ef dey suffer et es because yah nut honorable. Et was meh duty and honor tah see dat yah do well. Taking yah price en book was meh way of caring for yah en bad situation and I get someting out of et too. Yah jes turned out tah be bigger trouble and responsibility den I tought yah would. Dat time yah shoot meh was only dah beginning of dah trouble."

She enjoyed laying with him like this. Here everything was warm and there was space to talk without worry or pressure. It was enjoyable in more ways than just one. "Aye. I would let you help me with that, but the doctor said to wait." When he began talking about the black book and how much trouble she was was, she began to giggle a little and gazed up at him. "Aye, I was much more trouble than I was worth but you still made sure I wasn't alone. And now you always have me. I know things were hard when you lost your memory, but I'm glad you never let me go it alone, no matter how frustrated you were."

"Of course I stay wit yah. Who else would want meh?" Illya answered with an incredulous tone. "Besides, we bot know dat I am secretly attracted tah trouble."

Calysta held him closer to her and chuckled. "Oh aye. And it is very attracted to you." After a moment, she kissed him. "I know we don't talk about what happened in the moon shadow often, but I will say, I loved you and I never meant to make you feel like a dissapointment. I'm proud to be your wife. Proud that you are mine, memory or no." She brushed his cheek and then kissed him thoroughly just to make her point.

The kissing was plenty distracting and it only took a few before he pulled his lips away from hers. "We better stop. Dah doctor said tah wait. Yah make et wort et for meh tah work tah know yah again. I tink I could nut ever find better woman tah be meh wife and agreed. Et helps dat I like yah, a lot. Yah know dat we always be friends eh."

She stopped when he asked and held him close again. She didn't want to go against the doctors orders on this one. When he mentioned they would always be friends, she grinned broadly. "Aye. Always. You can tell me anything, yeah? That's what best friends are for."

Illya snickered. "Oh, yah got tah believe yah dah only one dat hears some of dah tings I say."

Calysta smirked a little and raised a brow. "I do believe it and I wouldn't have it any other way, love."

The remark only made Illya feel a bit more wild and he leaned in closer. "Care tah hear some of dose tings dat I only tell yah?"

She felt him whisper to her again as he leaned in close and smiled. "Aye, tell me some of those things you only tell to me." Now, this was her idea of flirtation and romance. Intimacy. She savored more than anything else.

"Oooohhhhooohoooo." Illya gave a growling sort of laugh and he rubbed a hand along her side. "I like tah feel yah legs. Yah hips feel good under meh hands." With each word he moved his hands to where he was speaking. "Mmmmm....I like tah kiss yah and hold yah tight."

Calysta nodded with a smile and put her hand over his, burrowing in close. Memory or not, she did love him. She hadn't known how upset he was. How little she had been able to hide her own heartbreak when she had tried so hard to keep it at bay. Now, she had sat there and spilled her guts to him. He knew now what she feared most sometimes. Something she has never told him before. She hadn't known how scared he was and still managed to try to get to know her all over again. He really did love her, not once but twice over. Leaning up, she smiled gently at him and then kissed him sweetly. "Aye, love."

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

By the next morning Illya was feeling some better. The spot where his arm had got infected had started to close up and it wasn't as sore. His creams for the bruises were working quite well. In fact he was starting to see some differences and feel them too. The bruises to his legs were yellowing now and he couldn't see some of them. His most concerning injury was still not a good color, but it would get there. It too was looking much improved.

Illya was fast with his treatments and he was sure to wear his boxers when he was around Kalizda. She would be worried for him if she saw how some of the bruising looked. The Ehaui said they would test him and be sure there was no permanent damage in about another week. As he exited the bathroom he stretched some. "Oooh, I can hardly wait for dah doctor orders tah allow sex. Missing dah showers tahgeter. No excitement eh?" With a smirk he leaned closer to her and gave Kalizda a little kiss. "So, we landing tahnight or tomorrow et looks like. What es first order of business again?"
 
The next morning they woke up slow and took their time. After their conversation the night before, Calysta felt different. It had been an unintentional and difficult conversation about things she didn't particularly like bringing up. However, she felt...lighter? There was no sun coming their their cabin window, but she felt as if the sun was shining and the troubles of the past weeks were nothing at all. He knew things about her no one else did and while that had come with the fear of rejection, the new found intimacy felt very freeing. Perhaps she could rely on him and tell him more things and he would listen. He wouldn't brush those thoughts aside.

She beamed at him as he stood there in his boxers and then settled a hand on each of his hips. "Aye," she chuckled lightly, "When the doctor clears you we might have to do a little more than shower." Then she kissed him gently before holding him close in a gentle hug. "We should be arriving tonight, if the weather permits. We'll have Wynry take a look at the radar and let her make the determination. If she isn't comfortable taking us in, then I will fly us or we will wait in a holding pattern."

About that time, a knock came to their door and Lohgan's voice sounded clear as a bell from the other side as the locked door handle jiggled violently. "Mam! Mam! Can we have pancakes with the chocolate in dem! Papa said to ask yah! Mam! Make dem!"

Cypher's voice chorused in. "Yah supposed to say, please, Lohgan. Papa said to say please. We will do et together....1..2..3..."

"PLEASE!!!"

Their out of tune crowing for pancakes made Calysta burst out into laughter and she hug Illya all the closer as she laughed into his belly. "I never get tired of those sounds," she giggled, "What do you say we make some pancakes, yeah?"

***********

After breakfast, Calysta went to Wynry for her assessment of the wind and snow patterns and it appeared they would be landing a little late, but only by a few hours. She spent those few hours spending time with her children and conducting a debrief for the security team. The additional members of the security team would be joining them in 42 hours or so, depending on the weather and Calysta mentioned to Illya that while she would like to have Asha aboard, the woman probably needed to stay with her husband and newborn. "My selection for the security team will be arriving soon," Calysta said, "Can you pick another member of the Elite or someone else that you trust?" Calysta asked.

Rezna had little to say on the subject other than it was probably a good idea given the circumstances and wanted to know who the selection was. Calysta shook her head. "I've asked Tikan to send his most trusted warrior. Having a Reylian on board will help in some ways and hurt in others. As you've seen, some continents still feel a little sore about Reylians and while they trust them, there is some underlying dislike. I trust Tikan to send who he believes is the best fit for the position."

The closer they came to their next stop, the more nervous Calysta felt. Her husband and her children were safest on the ship right now while they were on the move, but as soon as they touched down they would be in open territory for an assassin. It had been an easy fact to tamp down this morning over pancakes and listening to Cypher talk all about his science project, but now they were coming close to having to perform again with the stress of it more than tripled.

A brief break in the snow clouds, their window for landing came along near sunset. The land stretched out below, blanketed in pristine snow and capped with a tall, craggy mountain. Lights from the small town near the Edge of the continent glimmered, marking the docks where they would be landing. Beyond that were trees draped in snow with leaves almost deep blue rather than green.

Snow spackled wind pushed them toward the dock. Once they docked, an older Kaerelean man wrapped in grey furs and a thick hat walked up the gangplank to greet them. There was no compliment of people or large greeting just the older man approaching. The man was pale as the snow around the dock and his blue eyes stood out against his milke white hair curling out of the cap he wore snuggly over his ears. He smiled at them, and bowed. "Delegate Jurzyn," he said in his heavy accent, "Pleasure t' meet'ye Counca' Woman Monroe...an' Genaraal Ee-l-ye. Come...come..come!" He waved them down the gang plank toward a crate that was waiting for them, then popped the top off of the crate before pulling a pile of white furs from inside. The furs turned out to be a massive coat. He offered the coat out to Illya and nodded. "For ye, Generaal Ee-I-ye. Finest of furs." Then he dove back into the crate and offered a smaller, but no less stark white coat to Calysta. "And f' ye Counca' Woman Monroe. Try them."

Calysta slipped hers on and pulled the collar up close, impressed by how warm the coats really were. They must have been terribly expensive too. "Your generosity is appreciated," she said, "And the craftsmenship is wonderful. Thank you for the coats." Jurzyn held up a mitten clad hand and reached into the crate once more to reveal several more coats, clearly sized for children. He offered one to Rose, holding the coat out for her to slip her arms into. Rose looked delighted and burrowed her cheeks into the soft furs around the collar. "This is lovely," she chimed, happily.

Cypher was a bit too bulky for his and Lohgan would only allow Calysta to put hers on. The twins had tiny coats made as well, but Edgar looked a bit portly in his. A family trait they inherited naturally from their father.

When everyone was outfitted, Jurzyn motioned them forward. "You come t' stay in the commune. This way. Careful of th' ice."


They walked through the main street of the town. Most of the store fronts had crisp frost over the windows, obscuring what was inside, except for the bakery. The heat of the kitchen kept the windows clear and when the door opened as they passed by, Calysta could smell the scent of fresh baked loaves tickling her nose. Bread was probably expensive here as the materials had to be imported mostly. Ahead of them was a large, long house style lodge made in the local fashion of dark timber and pink toned rock. It was far enough from the town that a good blizzard would trap them there.

It was too late to turn back now though.

She pulled the collar of her wool coat higher and kept walking through the thick snow.

Jurzyn brought them into the warm communal space of the lodge. It was big, with tall ceilings to trap the heat bubbling from a massive fire pit lined with stone in the middle. Something large was roasting on a spit spanning the fire pit. It was the size of a small car and it was being turned by the hand of a burly staff member. Juice slid over the cooking carcass and spattered on the hot coals and stones below, making sizzling sounds.

The smell was almost like roast-beef and suddenly her belly let out a gurgle loud enough that Jurzyn grinned, flashing his white teeth at her. "Hungaary? We haave a feast tonight with the peooople. All togetheeer an' traaditional. They aaare very excited t' see an' speaaak with ye. Come...come..come.." He beckoned them forward to a door that led outside to a stone path. Along the covered walkway were cabins of various sizes and shapes built at irregular intervals. It almost was bigger than the tiny town.

She braced against the cold wind again and put a hand on Lohgan's shoulder to help guide him down the stone stairs. She had never seen snow in person before and she was eager to go play in it. Her daughter had already asked her about what snow was like half a dozen times. While they had used a hologram to simulate what it looked like, there was no substitute for crisp snowy winds on her cheeks and the crunch of snow under her boots. Lohgan's head swiveled in all directions, trying to take in the landscape, until she saw several children gliding over a frozen pond. They were flying fast over the ice in a merry game of tag-you're-it. A little girl squealed in delighted terror as she skated from the others, the last to get tagged. Her scarf whipped behind her and her cheeks were rosy as she reached the end of the pond and had nowhere else to go. Rather than stopping, she dove headlong into the snow bank, leaving the others on the ice behind.

Beneath her hand, she felt Lohgan craning to watch the show. An eager grin spread across her face again. "They're sliding on the ice! Can I try et too?"

"Later," she assured her daughter, "I'll show you how."

That perked her up again and her steps began to grow longer. They stopped at the stone walkway leading to the largest cabin on the path, a dark wood A-Frame construction, buried past the foundation in piles of thick snow. Nearby, a tree called an akythos stood tall. The branches supported spiny, almost succulent- like needles in the blue-green hue she had seen in the forest from above in their flyer. Snow accumulated on the branches, causing them to droop until their points arched to the ground.

Jurzyn man invited them to the front step and unlocked the cabin before handing her the key. "This is ye place as loong as ye need. We weclome ye. In...eh....two hours...Para Yuen is in thaaat cabin for ye interview like ye waaanted. I come te' take ye there when ye appooointment comes, yeah?"

Calysta thanked him with a warm smile. It was a relief not to worry about reporters swamping them on such a remote continent. Only ones she had contacted before their arrival were waiting and she had promised Para Yuen a long awaited interview.

"Alright. Thank you Jurzyn, I will see you soon." Then she nodded to the kids and to Illya. "Let's go get settled in."

When they passed the threshold into the warm interior of their cabin, there was a soft clicking sound and light sprang from every corner. The cabin was a large area with a communal fire pit already crackling with heat in the center of the living room. A set of wood hewn stairs lead to a lofted area where several doors marked where the bedrooms and master bedroom were. There were couches adored with plush pillows and blankets and the glass window taking up the entire wall opposite the fire pit gave the a beautiful view of the mountains. There was a stocked kitchen with a small icebox and a tea kettle.

"The people here don't have alot," Calysta mentioned to Illya, "This is their finest cabin if I had to guess. It's really beautiful."

A small gasp of surprise came from behind them as Rose looked at her pad with wide-eyes. "There's no network link here. I can't get on the network."

"Network links are rare here," Calysta said, "We'll try to find you one later but you may only find one in the communal house and I want you to stay here until we can all go out together, yeah?"

Rose looked petulant at the idea of not having a network link and sighed before hauling her bag toward the stairs.

********


It was snowing outside as they walked from one building to another, smaller cabin. Their boots crunched into the freshly fallen piles in tandem. Illya was by her side and Rezna and Dane were at their back. Ahead of them, was their host and delegate Jurzyn. "Will this caaaabin do for ye privaaaate interview, Madaaam Counca'woman?" Calysta nodded. "It will be sufficient if this reporter wants their interview, yeah?" Jurzyn choked down a chuckle and nodded before opening the door. Inside were a few lights set up with three chairs in the middle. A woman with slightly wrinkled skin and silvery hair grinned when they entered. "Para Yuen, Kaerelean Reviewer. " She bowed carefully and rose only when Calysta returned the bow. When the traditional greeting was done, she offered a papery hand to Illya. "General Illya Blackwolf, it is likewise a pleasure to finally meet you."

There was someone that decided they had to have an interview with them in this place. Illya followed Kalizda and their host to the little cabin. He'd already learned the hard way that he was a bit tall for their buildings. They were taller than most, but he'd just about scalped himself on the first doorway. As they entered the little cabin he ducked slightly and then came face to face with a very delicate looking woman. He was almost afraid to shake her hand, but did so anyway. "Mmhmmm...Glad tah meet yah." She appeared to be older and that could be relieving. Perhaps they would be asking more substantial questions of Kalizda.

Para nodded and patted his hand before offering them both a seat. "I'm going to have my assistant put microphones on you. They're simple clip ons and then we'll get started." Calysta sat down in the smaller of the seats and a much more youthful assistant came right over looking so excited she could hardly stand it. "M-may I?" she said to Illya, offering over a small black dot that served as the clip on microphone. "It will just go on your lapel right here."

As the woman patted his hand Illya realized she really was older. That was something older women did and he wasn't sure why, but they did. Oddly enough he was probably older than she was. Perhaps old enough to be her father. Then she mentioned the microphones and Illya immediately felt suspicious. The young excitable woman from the side of the room came over and when she reached for him Illya leaned back slightly. "I jes put et on, tanks." If he had to wear something not related to his uniform there was a specific spot it needed to be placed.

The woman's eyes went wide and she sputtered for a moment. "O-oh." Then she said something in Kaerelean to which the Councilwoman replied. "No, he is not offended, but you should be speaking in Trader's Tongue, please." The assistant turned pink, having been chastened and nodded before quickly applying Calysta's microphone with her eyes downcast and sheepish. When everyone was set, Para sat across from them and smooth down her conservative tunic. "We will begin now. This is not a live interview, but it will be recorded, yeah? Now, Councilwoman. Where do I begin with such a well traveled life? Your career in Skycorp was well-decorated and I could not imagine some of the places you've seen among the stars. However, I would like to begin our discourse with more recent events and where your career in Skycorp ended. Tell me about your first contact that started you on the path to where you are now. Tell me about your first meeting with the Chippeqouti. Who did you make first contact with?"


Calysta paused for a moment. How in the Wilds would she explain this? "Ah...yes. I crashed after taking heavy damage to my scout ship. And the first Chippeqouti contact I made was with the man sitting next to me. He came to inspect the crash site." Para's eyes lit up and she looked to Illya. "You were the first on scene? Can you tell me more?"

Illya tilted his chin down and looked at the lapel and put the microphone on and then glanced down again and realized he would have to clip it slightly higher and further to the left. After he had it adjusted he double checked and then looked at the interviewer. He realized that the assistant looked a bit upset and he might have offended her. "Oh uh...dere es rule about where tings like dis must sit on meh uniform. Et es better ef I place et." Now that this seemed to be covered the interviewer gave some of her details. Everything he said was recorded in some form or another. At least here he could think a little longer before responding. To his surprise and disappointment the conversation quickly turned from Kalizda and her career to the Chippequoti. This one would take time to turn back around. Of course the interviewer turned to Illya with a question that was harder for him to answer. He usually relied on Kalizda for a few of these things. However, there was a bit about this that he did remember. "Her shep was damaged. I decided tah go en first and look around for tings tah loot. Maybe someting interesting. She was only one on shep and alive. She was armed too and she shot meh."


Para blinked in surprise and looked fascinated. "So your first act was to loot the downed ship, rather than assist. And she shot you? Seems like a natural reaction for someone being looted, if you don't mind me saying so. You took the Councilwoman captive? How did you go from combatants to...allies? If I may ask?" Calysta swallowed some and nodded.

The interviewer clearly didn't understand the situation the Chippequoti had been in. "Well, eh...yes. I loot because most sheps dat land on dah planet dun have anyone alive and dah ones dat did were usually Federation. So, usually ef anyone was left alive I would kill dem. She was clearly nut Federation. Becoming friends took time. I deeply offended her and she still dun care much for dah black book even when I explain et."

Para nodded and leaned her chin her hand she listened with rapt but professional attention. "Oh? The Black Book? What is that?" Calysta cleared her throat and interjected a little. "It's a ledger. As conventional money and credits were not used on Quoti often. Favors and actions were often traded with work hours." Para raised a brow and looked to the General curiously. "And this deeply offended her how?"

By now Illya could see that Kalizda had tried to save him the discussion on the black book and it was too late. "Well...." Illya shifted in his seat and frowned for a second. "Et's jes dat. For dah trouble of saving her even after she shot meh I made deal. She was injured and I take her off dah shep and claim her and shep as mine. Dis way she would nut be killed. So, I assume dat she value her life even ef I dun have use for her. I make low price and she could work off dah price of her life by teaching meh tah fly. While she es still paying off debt of her life et was meh duty tah protect her and provide her needs. I did meh part and dere was no harm to her."


Para's brows raised even higher in surprise. "That sounds like quite a deal. Hardly a choice at all, if you were so gravely injured?" Calysta struggled to answer that but Para was good enough she could probably tell when she was being told a lie. "I was injured enough that I couldn't manage on my own. I took a large piece of my panel display to the side." Para sat up a little. "And you were taking immuno boosters? That must have been terrifying. A single microbe not covered by your boosters could have killed you. No wonder you made such a deal. Your life indeed, it appears you had no choice in reality." Leaning back, Para tilted her head and looked at Illya. "I see how you deeply offended her indeed."


There was no sugar coating this one and Illya shrugged. "Mmhmm...I sure did. Meh only experience before Kalizda wit foreigners was mostly battle or hostile situations." He wasn't going to make an excuse, but having some context helped. "She was first good contact wit foreigner and proved dat dere were many innocent people still trapped en Federation territory."

Para seemed satisfied with that answer and dug no further into it. Instead, she turned and looked at Calysta. "So, captured...claimed...as the General said. What made you decide to throw your entire career away, disobey your Skycorp code, and help the Chippeqouti off the planet? What was the motivation?"


Calysta looked at Para, meeting her gaze. "Because it was the right thing to do. The Federation was in the process of committing mass genocide of the Chippeqouti people. I knew what it meant for my career when I decided to go back. My life weighed against the torture and extinction of an entire people? There was no other decision I could make. I did it because somethings are bigger than ourselves. The Alliance is bigger than ourselves. We must look out for one another and know that through unity that is where our strength is. I don't regret what I did in the service of others. Not then and not now, Ms. Yuen." Para practically glowed and dipped her chin in agreement. "And it my understanding you have been working on gaining full council status in the Alliance for the Chippeqouti. That's a long but much needed process. General, or should I Emperor, will you be filling the role on the council?"

It was good that for a change Kalizda was the one making a good strong statement and Illya was glad for her. He tried to give her an opening. This was not as smooth as it had been in the past and he knew it was in part that he didn't get away with his usual distraction on the story. However, Kalizda made a good save on the story. Like a bad dream this reporter kept coming back to him on some stuff and he was going to have to answer yet another question. At least this one was easy. "No, I will nut fill dah role. I may testify as witness, or give council when requested. Dis es role dat I tink will be better filled by one of dah Elders. Dey spend dere lives tah study and dey make excellent integration program. I learn from dem often."

Para clearly wanted to ask more about the Elders and the Chippeqouti politics but refrained and nodded before moving on to other topics. "Interesting. Now, you have a visit to the colonies coming up. Are you aware of the sentiments by the Terran Colonies?" Calysta tilted her head. "That depends on what sentiments you're talking about. If you're referring to my earlier mistakes regarding the sanctuary I offered several years ago causing the formation of the colonies? Yes. I am aware of the battle and the sentiments of some Terrans who think that I am incapable of safely leading because of my actions." Para stared at Calysta for a moment and nodded. "And you are further aware of some thoughts that the Terran colonies believe they should have joined the Alliance before the Chippeqouti or Udine colony who are also in the process of negotiations, they claim that they applied for entrance long before either group on their home planet and that standing should be considered. What do you say to that?" Calysta looked at Para. "I have worked extensively with the colonies to help rebuild them and while the Chippeqouti are further along in the process, the Terran colonies have begun the process now that they are stable and self sustaining. That was the goal for many years. That's what I would say to those who have those opinions." Para looked to Illya. "And what do you think on this, General?"

They were finally moving onto more substantial conversation and this lady was focusing on Kalizda. It was pleasing to Illya and he was perfectly happy to let her have the spotlight. He had purposefully kept information short and to the point for that reason. However, the woman was throwing another question at him again and Illya stared at her for a moment. "Eh...Well, dis es nut someting dat Chippequoti have say en until dey are officially entered en dah Alliance council. Since I will nut be dah one sitting on council and et es primarily civil matter I leave dis work tah Kalizda and when dah time comes, tah dah Elders."

Calysta felt a trickle of sweat working its way down her scalp and into the small of her back where it soaked into her tunic collar. Illya had an acceptable answer on that question for now. When they reached the colonies, they would be under the fire for that one again. "I see," Para said, "Well, I look forward to seeing your work on the colonies. Of course, we're already seeing your work here starting the tour. You have made quite the impression already but even more so on those young half-breed individuals. Not many know it, but you have been an advocate for years for those who are half-breeds. The events last week on Kinte were a bold choice. What prompted you to invite the purist group known as the Heritage Protection Committee back to Kinte after they were refused entry by Delegate Terryn?" Calysta's eyes were cool grey. "Because no progress is made by denying the right of people to have their voices heard. Even if I disagree with those voices. Strongly." Para looked to Calysta. "And I'm sure that you are aware that your biological mother and biological grandparents are a part of this group." Calysta felt the sweat trickle down her scalp again. "Aye, I am aware. Even they have the right to their thoughts. However, I would say that whatever I am, half-breed, or anything else. That we should not allow that to divide us. We are stronger together, half-breed and pure-breed, Reylian, Chippeqouti, Kintenite, Aeriktan, Urian....all of us are stronger together. I believe that to my core."


Now Para was moving onto harder questions and Illya could tell that Kalizda was getting nervous. She was starting to sit a little straighter and she was almost rigid when she gave her answers. This was something she was going to have to work on. However, it was fine, this was not going to be distributed to the public. He halted some and he realized he was a bit rusty in a few areas too. While he had been trained to this, it was not his primary mode of operation. However, the main goal was to make her look good, not him. Para seemed to have done her homework and Illya nodded carefully at the end of what Kalizda said. "Unity es important tah maintain strengt and preserve dah Alliance."


Calysta found herself very thirsty and her mouth felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton balls. Para nodded in recognition of Illya's statement. "Indeed." Folding her hands into her lap, the reporter looked to Calysta. "I imagine you will see that particular group again. However, I would like to move forward to talking about the tour more. You are very non-traditional. A council member of the home planet usually does a tour every other year, but you have been council woman for nearly 8 years and this is your first. You also brought your family with you, which is non-traditional. Tell me, Councilwoman and General, what made you decide to do this as a family?"

There wasn't much that Illya could say about the tradition, but he could answer some of the part about the family. "I dun know as much about Kaerelean culture. I can say dat Kalizda and I made promise when we agreed. She wanted tah keep exploring and while dere es war and we cannot do dis as much and dere were many oter difficulties en recent years dat I tink prevented tours we agreed dat we would nut let a tour separate us. Et es important dat we do dis as family. Tah be separated or tah leave dah kids behind would nut be good."

Calysta smiled warmly at Illya's answer and she dared to let out a small breath. "Family is very important to us," she agreed, "I want to be there for my children and my husband. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful family and leaving them behind simply wasn't an option." Para smiled back. "Aye, and you are councilwoman and mother. It must be strange not to leave the same exciting life as you once did as Skycorp scout, yeah?"


Calysta tilted her head at the reporter as if studying her for a moment. "No, it isn't flying or exploring, but if I put you in the room with a teenage daughter, a ten year old boy, twins, and another daughter with a pack of dogs and glitter, I don]t think you would be bored for a single moment, Ms. Yuen. I miss traveling, yes, but as the General mentioned previously, travel has not been easy or safe. My children and my family are the best adventure of my life so far."

The statement from Kalizda drew a little grin out of Illya. She had that right. There really wasn't much time for him to be bored either. In fact, he thought her answer was great.

Para asked a few more questions, but eventually admitted that it would be best to reconvene later in the tour again for an update. Calysta resisted the urge to sigh in relief as the lights were turned off and the microphones were taken away. As they were getting up, Para shuffled over and titled her head curiously. The woman was slightly stooped with age, but still taller than her by an inch or two. "Tell me, off the record, what did you do to work off the debt you some how accrued with the General after the crash? I'm not here to judge, but I am curious. He said you taught him to fly?"

Calysta smirked a little. "I taught him to fly...or I tried to...and then I saved his life. He figured we were in the clear after that."

Para searched Calysta's face, assessing the truth and then smiled back.

*******

On their way back to the cabin, Dane stiffened some as if he heard something in his ear piece and suddenly a large blonde haired figure was trotting toward them. Calysta saw Rezna hauling up the path on a mission. She been left at the cabin to look after the kids and Dane had swapped to stand guard during the interview. The woman had on short sleeves as her breath came in quick puffs. Rezna almost never looked ruffled but she did now. That couldn't be a good sign at all. When their guard caught up, she flashed them both a look of irritation. "I don't suppose you know where that bucket of hormones you call a teenage daughter got off to? Rose's bedroom is empty and her window was open. I tracked her foot prints up the hill but the snow is covering them up fast."
 
From the time of their arrival on the new planet it felt a bit familiar. In some ways it was a bad familiar. The cold was absolute misery and Illya accepted the coat from the man with a nod and smile. "Et's very fine. Tanks tah yah." Slipping on the coat he felt that it was heavy and warm. If there was one upside to the coat it was that he only needed to wear it here. The long coat looked almost feminine and he found it hideous. Still he smiled and wore it anyway.

Kalizda immediately informed him as they approached a cabin that it was likely the best that they had. He could see that there wasn't much here. As they walked toward the cabin the man issued a warning of the ice, but it might not have been in time. Illya felt his boots slide and he immediately dropped to a squat to try and prevent himself from hitting too hard. Sliding down the walk a few feet in the squatted position he waited till his boots hit something less slippery and he nearly fell forward before he stood up and resumed walking. Dane was behind him grinning and Illya shot him a warning glance. There was no need to call attention to the fact that he almost biffed it.

By the time they reached the cabin Cypher was rosy cheeked as was the rest of the family. Illya was sure his cheeks were a rosy color too. Stepping inside he nodded to Kalizda, "Well, ets nice and warm. Dat's nice." They were going to be having a large dinner with the people in a communal lodge and he figured they would give him a few minutes to get their stuff dropped off here. No sooner had they begun to arrange their things for the next few days and Rose complained about the lack of network. Her attitude still needed a little adjustment and Illya let it go for now. "Yah mum es right. We will find network for yah little later. First we have dinner and den yah mum and I have appointment."

Rose huffed about the arrangements as they were, but with dinner coming up she wasn't going to get anything more. At least not for now. Taking her pad she set it on the bed and tried a few more times without even taking the coat off. She waited until the call to head out the door was given. Setting the pad aside she glanced in the mirror to be sure she looked appropriate and then snarled in response to the knock at her door, "I'm coming!"

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

The main lodge was large and it looked like almost the entire community of people could fit in it. Illya stripped the coat off after they were shown to their seats. It was too hot inside with the fire in the middle of the lodge not to take the coat off. Thankfully the locals didn't wait long to announce it was time to eat. Illya waited for Kalizda to lead the way in tradition so that he didn't do anything horribly offensive. When it came to his turn to select a piece of meat he pointed out the section on top of the beast's head and a portion of the neck. They were odd pieces, but very flavorful.

As he was seated Illya began eating the meat and he nodded in approval. "Very good. I dun have meat roasted like dis en long time." The compliment seemed well received and he allowed Kalizda to do the rest of the talking. She was the Councilwoman and the one everyone wanted to see at this event anyway. He was just the husband.

Somehow the idea of being just the husband was quickly shattered. From the meal the kids were escorted to the cabin and then he and Kalizda went to an interview. The interview was a bit invasive and the woman was not easily thrown off with a shocking fact. Kalizda had shot him, but the woman pried a bit further than that rather than finding humor, or getting caught on the detail. She was also going to be meeting with them again and Illya knew she was good, very good. These were the kinds of reporters that he found a bit disconcerting. This woman was going to be the sort that he would have to carefully monitor his answers for.

More than likely the reporter was not the sort that was so young and naive to accept traditional answers. They would need to be honest, yet final in tone. There were many things he didn't need her looking deeper into. It would be horrible if she managed to uncover things that Kalizda didn't know yet.

Illya walked silently next to Kalizda as he tried to anticipate future answers that he might give and then Dane began to slow some. Rezna was running toward them and then announced that Rose was missing. It was hardly a mystery of where she might go. "Dane and I will find her eh?" Illya responded, "Kalizda, yah go en wit Rezna. Dah cabin es secure location for now."

The two men immediately set out and Illya wished he could split up from Dane, but at this point Dane and he knew it wasn't the best. "We jes find out where dey say dere es network and check dere first." Illya said to Dane and they both set out to find the host. The host was likely still at the long lodge. When they arrived both men were panting a bit. They had run all the way there and indeed found a few locals there.

"Where yah have network?" Illya gasped. It was painful. His lungs hurt when the weather was cold like this and he coughed a bit. The air was just so cold. Immediately the locals seemed concerned that there was something wrong and Illya shook his head. "No...noting wrong." Coughing again he winced, "Jes need tah find meh oldest. I tink she went tah find network and et's time for her tah be en." A somewhat knowing smile crossed the face of the local and they pointed further up the street and stated the network was at the bakery.

With that Dane and Illya went back outside. Finding the bakery wasn't a difficult thing. They had passed it earlier in the evening. Illya chose to walk this time and he and Dane both looked the streets over as they went on their way. Before they reached the doorway of the bakery Illya saw Rose huddled up with her pad.

A small flame of anger burned in his stomach and he swallowed it before opening the doorway to the bakery and stepping inside. It was almost closing time, but it wasn't stopping Rose. Walking over to where she was, he took the pad from her hands and saw Sam on the other side. "Good night Sam. Rose es witout network for a little time. I will tell yah when she has network again." No sooner did he finish saying good night to Sam then he ended the hologram call and shoved her pad into his coat pocket. "Now we go back to dah cabin and we get rest. Yah sneak out and again show yah nut woman and yah dun consider consequences of yah action. I take yah pad and keep et till yah show greater concern for dah people dat we visit and yah show yah have toughts for dose beside yahself."

Rose stood by with her jaw dropped and her face turning redder by the moment. She couldn't say much here at the bakery and she only closed her mouth, narrowed her eyes and then violently took her jacket off the back of the chair where she'd been sitting and shoved her arms into it. "Fine, have it your way."

"I dun need yah permission, but et's good tah know yah en agreement about dis." Illya could tell by the look she shot him that she was angry, but it didn't matter for now. The rest of the walk back to the cabin he held a scarf over his face and tried to breath warmer air. For the time the cough left, but the morning would really be the telling factor about whether or not the cold had irritated his lungs.

When they arrived at the cabin Illya opened the door for Rose and let her in ahead of himself. She stomped her way to her room and then slammed the door. Illya took his coat off and retrieved her pad from it. Handing the pad to Kalizda he shrugged. "Well, yah can keep et for while. Rose will get et back when she shows dat she es concerned for oters and nut so much about herself."
 
Calysta paced the cabin floor. She knew Rose had gone out to find network but she couldn't help the burning ball of anger growing in her stomach. Rose took off. Again. Rose could have had anything else she wanted if she could just be patient. Rose only had to wait until they could go together. Their daughter didn't know about the assassins, naturally, but she was still old enough to understand that what they were doing wasn't without risk. Had she been so stubborn at that age?

"I know what you're thinking," Thomas said from his spot on the couch. He thumbed a page in his book, and sighed. "And yes, you were that strong willed. You wouldn't stay indoors or out of town for anything."

Calysta's teeth clamped together. "This is different, Dad. This isn't some purist punks wanting to...wanting to do things. The Federation is far more dangerous."

"It's not different to her," Thomas said, "She wants to be like her friends, eh? Like you wanted to be."

Calysta didn't reply and her eyes shifted to the floor. She understood that all too well. The want to fit in, to be like others. She knew how cruel people could be too. The Federation would be more than cruel to Rose though.

Rezna stood by the door, arms crossed and looking grumpy. "She's not thinking with her head. You know, on Udine the young adult years are the most dangerous and have the highest mortality rate. Teenagers do dumb shit, it just tends to get you killed more often than not on Udine."

She paced back and forth, but didn't reply to Rezna either. After what seemed like far too long, the door burst open and Rose stomped in without a single word. Her boots sent ice and snow scattering out of the treads and all over the rug. Her daughter stomped up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door causing the lights in the loft to rattle. Behind her came Illya. He dusted off his boots and ducked into the doorway with Dane, then offered over a pink framed info pad with a shrug.

"Rezna," Calysta said with a sigh, "Rose wont be needing her pad for the duration of our stay here. Will you please take this back to the ship and put it in my lock box."

"Yes, Councilwoman," Rezna grunted, before lifting off the wall, taking the pad, and then exiting the cabin into the dark.

Then she looked to Illya and nodded. "Come on, let's get you warmed up, yeah? The rest of the kids are already tucked into bed."

She took Illya to bed and helped him get wrapped up in his heated blanket before giving him his medicine with warm tea. She was thinking about Rose the entire time. "I wish I knew more about how to help with Rose," Calysta admitted as she pulled the covers high over them. "I may try to spend some time with just me and her tomorrow. I don't get a chance to do that very often these days. If she will let me. "

***********

The next morning brought puffy snow clouds piling up in the sky and a drop in temperature. Their breaths came in jets of steam as they set out in the morning for their communal breakfast without Rose. Their daughter had refused to come out of her room at all. "No! I'm not hungry! Just go away!" she had barked angrily. Calysta shook her head at the door and let Rose be. Maybe she would come out eventually. When she got hungry enough. Her father volunteered to stay until

They set out without all the children to the communal house where the fire put had a large metal skillet had replaced the spit from last night. Eggs, cured meats and fish were sizzling away over the flames. The entire communal area smelled like delicious meat. Calysta eyed the meat hungrily. That fish looked delicious and she fully intended on trying some. The locals all paused and bowed as she walked by. All of them were impossibly pale and their hair the color of the snow falling outside. A little girl in a thick fur coat came up to them and grinned at Illya. "Maaam says yee are biggest man she eveeer seeen." Cypher poked around the corner and smiled back. "That's because meh Dah es a Chippeqouti soldier. Dere always big."

In comparison, the girl was shorter and slighter than Cypher had ever been but she looked up at him in unabashed enthusiasm. "Will ye come skaaate with us?"

Lohgan piped in with a mouthful of eggs. "I wanna go too!"

"Breakfast first," Calysta said, "Then we will all go, yeah?"

Calysta ate her breakfast with gusto. The fish was cooked with some sort of fat, butter or some other kind of clarified fat, that made it taste even more rich than normal. All she wanted was another piece, but the kids gobbled down their food fast in anticipation of the skating. They made their way down to the frozen over pond and Jurzyn provided skates to them. "Ah...this is our laaargest pair," he said to Illya apologetically, "Maybe they will fit, yeah?"

Rezna and Dane took turns watching and walking the perimeter while everyone else geared up for their first chance at ice skating. Cypher grinned at his new found friend and hit the ice without hesitation. She giggled as her son shot off like a rocket across the pond and buried into a snow drift. He tussled his way out and dusted off his thick fur coat with pink cheeks flushed under his tan skin. "Whoohoo! Dat was fun!" His little friend giggled and off they went to play. Lohgan had better ideas and looked up with soulful eyes to her father. "Dah. Skate with meh? We go together."

Calysta tied her own skates on and helped Edgar and Tomas into a tiny sled. They were too small to really skate without falling. The age of three just didn't give enough stability to skate properly yet. So, she guided them along in a tiny sled so they could enjoy a little ride too. In reality, she was more concerned about Illya. "Have you ever been ice skating before?" she asked him curiously as they started at the edge of the pond.
 
Kalizda had the pad taken care of and Illya felt a little grin come to his face when Kalizda mentioned getting his heated blanket and warming him up. "Mmm yeah. I'm little cold." Illya carefully wiped a little sweat off his forehead. For all she knew it could have been melted snow flakes.

"Oh...Yah spoiled alright." Dane grumbled and shoved Illya.

Flashing Dane a grin Illya answered, "Mmmhmmm and proud of et." Jumping aside he dodged the light punch aimed at his arm. Without even thinking of it he made a quick dart forward and grabbed Dane around the thighs and threw the man over his back like a sack of potatoes and opened the door to the cabin before jogging down the steps and throwing Dane in a snow pile. Racing back up the stairs he almost dodged Dane's grasping hands and tripped before he got into the door. Kicking a few times he got free and pulled himself back into the cabin laughing the whole way.

Dane stumbled in after Illya brushing snow off the front of himself and his hair. He'd sunk far enough into the snow that there was a mini cavern where he'd been dumped. "What dah hell got into yah?"

Illya pulled himself up off the floor and snickered as he reached behind Dane to shut the door. "I dun know. Yah jes look like easy target. Yah better keep yah eyes open."

The Chip soldier laughed and acted as if he was going to shove Illya again and instead exchanged it for a good firm kick to Illya's prosthetic leg. Illya's leg slid back a little bit and he laughed as he grabbed Kalizda and ran for the bedroom. Dane laughed from behind and dismissed them, but forgot that Rezna was on her way back. When the door opened Dane got hit in the back and he stumbled forward. Immediately he turned around and hit the first person that walked through the door.

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

After Illya was in bed and all settled in he felt his back twinge a bit. His ribs hurt too after all that. Closing his eyes he tried to hide the fact that he'd probably pushed it a little hard tonight. Every few hours he woke up with a mini coughing fit. Nothing lasted long, but his ribs sure let him know every time he coughed.

By morning he was feeling a little rougher and he could feel his chest getting that tight feeling. "Kalizda, we put some chest rub on eh? Dah cold es little bad for meh lungs." Smearing a nice heavy dose on he got wrapped up and ready to go out. So far it was all quiet here and Illya felt fairly safe. The first stop was a large, breakfast with more meat. Illya took the meat with a big smile and complimented the people. "So far dis es dah best food I eat on dah entire tour."

He was mostly served up and ready to head over to his seat when a little girl came over and expressed her mother's thoughts. "Oh." That was all Illya knew to say for it and the little girl immediately asked them to go skating. That was going to be on the list anyway. Lohgan jumped in and gave him her sweetest gaze. Even if he had intended on skating it was definitely going to happen today and perhaps a bit more than he'd anticipated. "Yes, I take yah skating. I'm sure ets nut dat hard."

Once breakfast was over the family headed for the skating area and Illya got the largest set of skates they had. They were a bit small, but they would work well enough. Lohgan waited by his side patiently as he finished lacing the last skate. Walking on the skate was easy enough. However, his first foot hit the ice and began to slide before he even had the other foot there. Illya stuck his hands out and caught himself in a strange position. Adjusting the skate on the ice to have his weight on the side of the blade rather than following it he was able to prevent himself from doing the splits and ripping the crotch out of his pants.

Finally, with both feet on the ice he reached out and grabbed Lohgan to put her on the ice with him. The two of them stood there for a moment and then he slowly started to glide over the ice. Once or twice he let go of Lohgan's hands when he jerked and almost fell over. It only took a few minutes for them both to gain their confidence. Soon Lohgan was darting around and flying across the ice.

Illya started to race after her and while he was plenty fast, he couldn't stop. There was a wall around the skating area to block people from dropping off an edge of about 6 feet. It was a small ravine and Illya wasn't sure what was under it, but he wasn't having much luck turning in time either. Grabbing the top of the fence he vaulted himself over it toward the snow drift near the ravine. A white puff of snow went up and he sunk around two to three feet. Snow crumbled from the edges and buried him.

The first thing to appear was one of Illya's gloves and then his black curly head as he stared to claw his way out. Wading back through the drifts and covered in ice crystals he reached the ice skating area again and resumed skating. Many of the children laughed at his wild display and a few were kind enough to show him how to stop. Turning was still harder for him, but he got it after a few falls on his hips and then he worked on stopping. After he had that Illya started to skate backward. Skating backward was a problem all the way. He fell into the snow so many times that he finally gave up and resumed skating normally though his turns were still rough enough that he had to vault himself over the fence and into the snow at least three more times before the kids were wore out.

At the end of the ice skating Illya found himself coughing almost uncontrollably, but he still had fun. Ice crystals had formed in his eyebrows and his eyelashes were like mini icicles. His hair was crusted with snow particles and his cheeks were a rosy red. Winking at Kalizda he leaned in to kiss her, but stopped short and coughed some more. "Maybe...." Coughing violently he spit into the snow and shuddered some. "Jes some tea eh?"
 
The calmness in the room shattered when Illya felt the need to haul Dane outside as he crowed about how she spoiled him. The two launched outside where her Chip summarily dumped his cohort into the snow. He was feeling wild apparently and that feeling wasn't over when he came back inside and scooped her up into his arms. She squeaked and let out a surprised giggle as she was hauled off toward the bedroom.

Once they got inside, she found herself placed on the bed and snuggled into. He was playful tonight and she almost forgot that sex was off the menu when she started to kiss on him in return. They got heated, but he pulled away before they could go much further. She smiled at him as they slipped out of their clothes. She became the little spoon, tucked against him and wrapped up where it was warm. "Oooh," she mumbled, "You should drink your tea and take your medicine before we get too comfortable." There was a mug on the beside table along with a tiny cup with all his medicines for the evening in it.

When he was done, she turned on the heated blanket to it's highest setting then pulled it over them. He was wrapped up snuggly in the hot blanket while she tucked at it here and there. Then she shimmied her back up to his belly and let out a contented sigh. He was warming up and being cuddled like this had become somewhat of a go to move in the evening. Why hadn't she been bold enough to suggest it sooner? It was far more comfortable for him and it was more than cozy for her. She enjoyed being held so close. They talked for a little while, Illya whispering in her ear until his whispers became mumbles and his mumbles became nothing more than soft breathing.

That soft breathing was interrupted two or three times during the night when a coughing fit would strike, waking them both up. After the third one, she checked for a fever but he didn't feel overly hot. By the morning, he was laying on his back looking tired and sounding a bit miserable as he asked for the soothing cream the Ehaui sent for Chip Cough. "Kalizda, we put some chest rub on eh? Dah cold es little bad for meh lungs." Calysta peeled the blankets back and plucked up the medicinal smelling rub. He had a broad chest and it took several good fingerfuls of cream to cover him well. She gently smeared it on his chest with gently, short finger strikes and even put a little higher up closer to his neck. "There," she hummed, "Nobody will see your neck line anyways. Not in that big furry coat, yeah?"

They ate breakfast and she found herself less hungry than the night before where she had eaten two servings of fish. She poked at her eggs and field the questions from the kids while her mind turned over the idea of assassins and Rose. When it was time to go ice skating, she gladly let Illya take Lohgan out. He wouldn't do anything too wild while his daughter was there.

She putted along the ice, hauling Tomas and Edgar in a little sled. Edgar giggled causing his chubby cheeks to wiggle as they made a turn around the pond. Tomas pointed to everything he saw. "M-m-mah! L-look it-t-t." He pointed to the other children skating, the gently falling snow flakes, the trees rustling in the wind. He poked his hand out of the wagon and scooped up some snow before Edgar decided to lean over and take a mouthful of it from his brother's hand.

Calysta chuckled and taught them all the words to everything they pointed to. First, in Kaerelean and then in Quoti and Trader's Tongue. They would be fluent in all three that way.

As she made another pass, there was a shout of surprise and a gaggle of kids began to yell warnings. She looked up to see Illya shooting across the pond and leaping over the barricade into whatever was on the other side. "Oh shit," Calysta grimaced. She skated up to the ledge where she saw only his hair sticking out of a deep snow drift like an errant patch of curly weeds and his hand flailing around as he tried to dig himself out.
All she could hear was muffled sounds as he dug himself out. When it appeared he was fine, she laughed a little and they went back to skating. Cypher and Lohgan skated several hours with the other children who welcomed them as if they were locals.

Illya tumbled into the snow so many times he was starting to look like a large snow man himself. He slid up to her with ice crystals all in his eyebrows, his eyelashes and clinging to his curls. He leaned into kiss her, but started coughing heavily again. She let him spit out whatever came up and looked him over. "Aye, tea to start. Lunch will be in the main house again, let's get you warmed up though and some medicine, yeah?"

They went back to the cabin where she made the kids change clothes for awhile and wrapped them each up in a warm blanket by the fire. They each had a mug of hot chocolate and sandwiches too. Edgar fell asleep with a ring of chocolate around his mouth and his hand squeezing the jelly out of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Cypher was fighting sleep as he talked about all the new friends he made, but eventually, his head lilted back and he dozed up. Lohgan fell asleep close to Tomas.

She had wrapped Illya up in his warm blanket and given him a cup of hot tea. "When you're done, I can rub your chest down again, yeah?" She lifted her hand and checked his forehead some. he didn't feel overly hot, maybe a small fever, but then again he was always warmer than normal. She took him to the bedroom and made short, but gentle work of using the cream on his chest again. "This cold air really is making you sick," she said, her brow knitting together in concern. "We'll just make sure you stay on the medicine and creams."

Shortly after she was done there was a short knock on the front door of their cabin. Calysta came down from the loft to investigate who was at the door. She was all to aware of the pistol hidden in her waist band where the coat would cover it up. Rezna's voice could be heard after the knock. "It's delegate Jezyn. He's clear." With that, Rezna opened the door to reveal with portly and pale delegate who gave a bow to everyone. Slung over his back was a bow and quiver made of animal skins and inked with bright designs. "I caaaame tooo see if yeee and yeee husband still liiike t' gooo on th' huunt with us? Ye eldest boy is welcome t'come too."
 
Illya heard the invitation to hunt and he quickly pulled a shirt on over his oiled chest before exiting the bedroom. When he saw the delegate he smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Let meh get Cypher up and we will be ready. Where do we meet and when?"

Jerzyn flashed his white teeth in a grin. "In th' cooomune house, yeah? In one haaaalf hour. Wear waaarm things...especially glooves. We have equipment for you ready." Then he gave another bow and stepped out of the doorway.

With only half an hour Illya knew every second would be needed. Going to Cypher's bed he roused the boy and then got them all geared up. Glancing at Kalizda he grinned. "Yah coming wit?" Nodding in response to her statement he continued. Illya retrieved his converting gloves. They were his tactical cold weather mits that could fold back and allow fingerless access to weapons. If they were hunting he would need some dexterity. Once they were all ready he walked down to the communal house in the white coat that the people had gifted him with and his son was dressed in his white coat too. At least this way they were harder to spot when they were hunting the animals.

When Illya asked if she was coming with, she glanced up at Rose's room. The girl hadn't come down all day and that likely wasn't going to change. The hunt sounded like fun and it would give Rose more time to cool off before Calysta approached her. Nodding she geared up herself using the white coat they had given her, tactical gloves, a layer of legwarmers and of course her hat and scarf. When they were ready to go, she walked with her very excited husband and son up to the communal house where a group of men and woman dressed in similar white fur coats were milling about a table laid out with bows and arrows of various sizes. There were a few teenaged boys there but Cypher was the youngest among the children. It made him no less eager to start though. Jerzyn waved them forward and offered the contents of the table to them. Calysta spied a smaller adult bow and tested the tension on it. She had been trained on how to make one and use one, but it had been a few years since she had done so. "Pick what you like," said Jerzyn, "Anything at all. When you are ready, we will begin." Cypher grinned up at his Dah. "Do I get one too, Dah?"

Inside the communal room Illya saw a large table set with various weapons. It appeared they would be hunting using bows. Of course Cypher wanted to use one and Illya scanned over the offerings on the table. There appeared to be one bow that was perhaps small enough. "I show yah how tah peck bow. Dere are different kinds. Dah kinds here are long bow style. First yah look for bow dat stands little bit shorter den yah. Arrows for et should be about one of yah forearm lengt." Illya carefully helped his son select a bow and then began looking at the arrows. It appeared that their guests had been quite thoughtful and provided bows and arrows in the range of his son. "Now yah have right size of bow and we get guard for yah arm." Helping Cypher strap a guard on Illya made sure his son was set and then he walked Cypher through proper stance and drawing of the bow. "Yah keep on practicing and I will get meh bow." There weren't any bows long enough to fit Illya height wise, but he was sure he could use the bow anyway. It would just require a slightly modified approach. Once he was outfitted he drew the bow back a few times with no arrow and practiced the same as he'd instructed Cypher. Practicing with the bow before placing an arrow was a good way to get a feel for it.

Out fitted with a quiver full of arrows, an arm guard and a bow, Calysta tested her own bow while Illya helped Cypher. Her son looked up eagerly at his father and copied him move for move. "I got et Dah," he grinned, '"What are we hunting?" Jerzyn grinned at the question and nodded. "Giant Dorelyn. They aaaare laaarge an' faaast. Broad feeeet to stand on the snow." He waved them forward toward the commune house door and the group followed with excited murmurs. A horn sounded from the top of the commune house and they went silence before sliding their goggles on over their eyes. "We go to th' moount now. Come...come...come..." The group ushered out of the door and began their hike into the mountains. "Cheeepeqouti hunt often?" Jerzyn asked Illya casually as they walked.

Now that they were ready to go out hunting, Illya slipped his tactical goggles on and helped Cypher adjust the snow goggles from the locals. They were going to be on their way for the hunt. Whatever they were hunting sounded like it would be a challenge and fun to hunt. It was fast and large. Sliding his scarf over his face Illya did what he could to minimize the cold getting to his lungs. When the locals asked about hunting a large grin came to Illya's face though they couldn't see it. "Mmm...some of dem. I hunt a lot. Used tah tink dat I would grow up tah be Chippequoti hunter."

Jerzyn grinned but all that was visible was his goggles pushing up from his pale cheeks. "We aaare all hunteeers here, myrz nooot much else t' dooo, eh? Tradition paaassed dooown t' all th' generations. A looong time befoore Alliance an' looong time befooore Lyr tooo. You aare loong lived peoples y' understaaand traaadition, yeah? This is good for aaalll peoples. Y' like Alliance so faaaar on th' ouuutside?"

The man was genuinely interested in seemed in sharing a good part of his culture and wanting to know a few things of the outside world. Illya didn't mind. These people seemed to be more accepting and pleasant. "I understand tradition, hunting es good tradition. Makes dah people strong and helps dem keep common understanding. Dah Alliance es very good. Et saves meh people. Dah Chippequoti owe a debt dat cannot be repaid tah dah Alliance. I tink we will always work hard tah keep our place here."

Jerzyn nodded. "It is gooood. Necessary. Lyr did n' staaand an' the Fedeeeraaation will n' staaand either. Y' aaare allies, Myyyrz. Y' and y' peoples. Alwaaays now. Y' place issss wi' us, as allies nooow. This issss right."

A smaller but taller, almost lithe frame clad in white fur and goggles stepped up beside them and grinned. "What he means to say," she said with a slight accent, "Is you have earned your place among the Alliance as true allies. It is right that you stand beside us."

The response from the man was kind. Illya coughed some and then took as deep a breath as he dared. His ribs were very sore after the coughing fits from earlier. "Tanks for yah words. Dey will mean much to meh people dere are some dat are from mountains like dis. Meh people will like yah very much." Illya wasn't always sure what to say when people seemed to like him or his culture, but he tried. Then he decided to move along and ask something that he'd noticed in the last statement. "Yah call meh Myyrz, what does dis mean?"

Jerzyn looked at her and huffed a little. "Is thaaaat n' whaaaat I saaay?" The woman chuckled a little. "No, you got it right, Dah." When he asked about the name she grinned, pushing her goggles up a little too. "Ooh. That. It's a nick name, yeah? Your name is...troublesome with the accent and comes close to...well its hard to translate from the Old Tongue. But let's suffice it to say its some thing a bit...exciting. So they call you Myrz. It's short for Myrzarianamth, or translated to Traders Tongue, Man as Broad as the Old Mountain. Really quite a title."

Hearing that his name sounded similar to a word that was a bit exciting Illya's eyebrows raised. He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know what that word might be. "Well den, I appreciate yah name for meh. Et es perhaps better den having eh, exciting name as yah put et."

The woman nodded and chuckled lightly. "Aye, the nick name is better. You don't want to go exciting all the ladies around here." Offering out her gloved hand, she nodded. "I'm Aymnerinova. On the outside, they just call me Nova."

Jerzyn puffed up with pride. "M' chiiiild will beee th' fiiirst in th' faaaamily t' join Skyyyyco' very prouud of Nova, yeah?"

"Et es good I can call yah Nova. Et will be easier for meh tah say et right." Illya was relieved that her name was simplified and in a way that they gave him a different name. He was then informed that Nova would be joining Skycorp. "Mmmhmmm I see. Dis es very good. I tink dat I will go back tah Skycorp for officer training after dah tour. Maybe I will see Nova when she es dere en next season?"

Nova's otherwise pale cheeks turned pink as Illya called out to Calysta from behind. The small woman snapped out of her conversation at the sound of her Chip name and waved at Nova. "Of course!" Nova laughed a little in nervous excitement and then dropped back to talk with none other than Calysta Marie Monroe. Jerzyn patted Illya on the back in a friendly gesture. "Y' jussst maaade m' child's yeaaar, yeah?" Frowning a little he noticed the man was coughing some. "Oooh outsiiiiders do n' get alooong with ouuurr air at tiiimes. Y' have haaacking in th' lung. After th' huuunt we will gooo t' th warm house, yeah? Y' feel better an' gooood for y' lungs and skiiiin."

It was a gesture of good will and Kalizda responded as Illya suspected she would. This would be good for the Alliance and Kalizda's message. The young woman clearly was precious to her father and Illya smiled at the man. "Oh, I have daughters too. I know ets important tah fater tah see his child happy. She ask very small ting. She will be great woman one day. Tah be leader for yah people?" Of course the man had noticed his hacking and Illya was glad that his cheeks were already red from the cold. He hated when people noticed those things. "Mmm...Warm house would be good for meh. I like dat idea. Meh lungs nut so good as dey used tah be." Illya's artificial ear picked up an odd crackling in the snow and he paused. "Yah hear dat? Et sounds like snow out dere." Pointing out to the left he squinted a bit through his tactical goggles and he thought he spied a creature.

Jerzyn shook his head. "Nooo. M' Nooova loves heeer laaand...buuut heeer eyes..." he pointed upward to the snow cloud covered sky, "Heeer eyes spaaarkle when th' looook up, yeah. M' son will taaake m' place wheeen I diiie. Nooova is gooood woman an' shee will gooo tooo plaaaces ouuur people never seen." Jerzyn nodded at his response to the warm house. He would take him there directly after the hunt. It wasn't until the man said something that Jerzyn paused. When the delegate stopped, the members of the hunting party did so as well, almost on instinct. Illya pointed and the party swiveled silently to see a tall, leggy herd of animals on the treeline. Their lucky day. He motioned and the party split silently. One party would slip around and flank the beasts so when they ran into the trees they would be cut off. The other half would advance from all sides at their front, taking in all angles. "Reaaaady?" Jerzyn asked Illya.

Illya’s eyes lit up when the man asked if he was ready and he nodded eagerly. “Yeah,” beckoning to Cypher he had his son come stand near him. “Yah jes follow meh and do what I say. Yah learn tah hunt eh?” Cypher nodded and grinned at his father with big blue eyes and rosy cheeks.

Jerzyn grinned and made a silent motion with his hand. The party split off and Calysta went with the team to slide into the trees from another route. Split off, the hunting party seemed to move as one and on instinct, slowly and silently spreading out. They used the snow banks taller than a Kaerelean man for cover until they came within range, then stopped. Cypher followed along but as they came to a snow bank, his heavy frame sank a little. He stumbled into the pile and sent a few clumps plopping to the ground. The herd of creatures stopped foraging for summer grasses and their heads raised, ears flicking with alertness.

The fanning out was a common practice with herd animals. Cypher was doing his best and Illya felt that for a first hunt his son was doing well. Then they crested the snowbank. As the animals raised their heads Illya froze with a hand on Cypher’s shoulder. Hopefully if they were still the creatures would become relaxed and settle in to eat more.

A tense moment fell over the group as they all froze as still as the animals they were hunting. Their forms were nearly invisible in the snow thanks to the white fur coats. Rather than settling back in, a large creature stepped forward, his head lifting and his nose snuffling the air. Then it bolted into the trees causing the herd to so the same. The only thing left to do was pursue. The hunters gave up stealth and leapt over the snow bank to begin firing from the sides.

“Shet,” Illya bolted forward and felt Cypher pull on the edge of his coat. The boy was trying to keep up and Illya grabbed hold of Cypher’s hand with one of his own. Seeing an animal trail that was well worn and likely icy Illya ran for it and dove into the icy trail. With his weight he zipped to the clearing faster than he could have run it in the snow. Cypher was panting hard and his eyes were wide as he watched his father put an arrow in his bow and pull it back tight from a kneeling position. Illya took only a few seconds to calculate approximately what he might expect from the bow and choose his animal. Releasing his arrow he quickly turned and grabbed his son. “C’mon, we run now. Et was injured badly and et will fall soon.”

Cypher jerked forward under his father's tug and worked his legs furiously to keep up with the pace. An uneven trail of red blood occasionally smeared with a stilted gait was left behind, making a perfect trail to follow. They dove deeper into the woods until they spied the large creature stumbling sideways, snorting in fear and pain as it tried to stand back up. The arrow stuck out of its thick skin and oozed with blood. Cypher panted hard and tried to point. "Dah...ets there. Can I try et?" He lifted his own bow.

When they reached the woods and the animal was barely moving Illya stopped a safe distance away and he was about to tell his son to stay put when Cypher asked if he could try. “Yes, yah try. Yah first arrow dat hits yah call et done. Aim for troat. Ef yah dun kill et on yah shot den I will go finish et. We dun make animal suffer for sport. We only kill tah eat or because animal es dangerous.” Helping his son take up the proper stance, Illya guided Cypher’s motion. “Pull up some and move here. Remember dat as yah arrow flies et will start tah fall.” Once it looked good Illya whispered, “Dere yah have et. Let yah arrow go.”

Cypher's arms were thick and well built like his father's. He pulled back the bow string and let his father adjust it. His aim wobbled some because his breath still came a little short from running the cold. He took a deep breath to steady himself, aimed and let the arrow go. The arrow shot forward with surprising speed and fell a little low, sinking into the neck on the gullet side. The animal let out a groan and flopped over, its chest heaving and shuddering until its blood loss was too great. "Did I do et, Dah?" Cypher asked, his eyes wide. "Et...et cried at meh."

“Et was very good for first shot.” Illya set a hand on Cypher’s shoulder. “Yah come wit and I will show yah how we finish dah animal.” Walking up to the creature, Illya could see it was quickly fading, but still in some pain. Walking over to it Illya stood behind its head and took a knife from his belt and slit the animal’s throat. Cleaning the knife in the snow he then put it back in the sheath and stood aside with Cypher as the other hunters closed in. “Yah did well Cypher. Dey will all see yah arrow es well placed for first hunt.”

Cypher's cheeks were flushed from the cold and they excitement. He grinned at his father, showing off a row of white teeth and standing taller with pride. "Yah are proud of meh? Will Mam be proud too? How do we make et to carry?"

“I am proud of yah and I tink yah mum will be to. We will see how Dey carry animals back. Some hunters have dragging cots, maybe Dey have sled for dragging, or we cut et up for carrying.” Illya wasn’t about to assume how it was done and he wanted his son to learn to respect other people’s traditions when hunting with them.

Eventually, a few other hunters emerged from the snow like ghosts. Nova appeared and gave them a friendly wave before walking up to survey the kill. "Good shot," she said to Illya, "You've done this before, yeah?"

When the hunters emerged Illya put an arm around Cypher’s shoulder. Nova was likely complimenting Illya’s first hit when the beast was on the run, but he wasn’t the one in need of recognition. “I only wound dah animal. Meh son, Cypher dealt deadly shot to dah neck. A fine job for his first hunt.”

Nova's attention turned to Cypher and she knelt down next to him. "Oooh. Is that your first kill on a hunt?" The boy nodded and Nova smiled. "You've got the makings of a fine hunter. The shot was well done. Would you like to help me finish up?"

Cypher looked up to his father and then stepped out from under his hand with a solid nod. "Dah said we wait until you show us how yah want et done."

Nova nodded. "Very good. Your Dah is right. Come over and I'll show you." Nova brought Cypher over to the downed beast and a sled was brought over by another hunter. Before they lift the animal up, Nova stopped Cypher from removing the arrows. "No we don't want it to leak or things to get inside the wound. We'll do that later. Here, we give thanks for our bounty."

"Who are yah thanking?" Cypher asked curiously. Nova patted the dead creature and whispered in her own language before swapping. "The new gods of the moon and the old gods...the ancient gods of the mountain ...who allows for such a bountiful hunt. We are always thankful for our food and the mountain provides plenty. I'm fact, we have some fishing tomorrow if you want to come."

The offer to fish was pretty much impossible to pass up. Immediately Cypher looked to his father with wide eyes and a pleading expression. Illya was trying hard to keep his breathing stable and not to cough. A half grin came to his face and he nodded before answering, "Oh yes, but dun expect meh tah catch much." Fishing wasn't Illya's thing. He could do it well enough if he had to survive, but the last time he tried even the girls out fished him. How he could be good at hunting and bad at fishing, he didn't know.

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

After the long walk back to the village Illya and Cypher were offered the chance to go the warm house. Illya nodded. "Aye, after Cypher comes wit tah help prepare dah meat. Et es important part of dah hunt." Nobody liked this part so much. It was necessary and Illya didn't want his son to think himself too good to do it. The people seemed to approve of the idea that this being Cypher's first hunt would also involve the boy becoming familiar with all the work around the hunt.

The first thing they did was remove their gloves and coats before cutting into the meat and working on skinning the creature and gutting it. Illya and Cypher had the assistance of a few other hunters. The work was dirty and while Illya's hands and arms were only bloody up to his elbows Cypher had blood up to his shoulders and some on his face. Once they were done preparing the meat Illya helped the men put it on a spit to be roasted over a fire. Then they went back to the cabin to get cleaned up and prepare to go to the warm house. Before leaving Illya checked in with Kalizda. "I dun tink Cypher will last longer den half an hour. I will go wit him tah dah men's side for first half hour den I will bring him back here tah rest. He needs some rest before tahnight. We will let him stay longer for celebration. He hunted tahday and he should celebrate wit dah rest." With a quick kiss he headed out the door and waited till it was closed to start coughing.

Cypher was walking with a slight strut everywhere he went. He felt quite proud of his accomplishment and he was even going to the warm house with the men. His father told him it was alright to wear boxers in the warm house the first time and he thought he would. It was all well till they got there and Cypher immediately knew why it was called the warm house. Even while he was stripping his clothing off he was sweating and he saw his dad was wearing boxers too. Grabbing a bottle the same as his dad did he padded into the room with him.

Inside there were many naked men and Cypher's eyes widened some. It was kind of like the bath house except that they were all just sitting there sweating. It also smelled a bit funny. A scent that was not like the oils that the Chips used. A few of the men congratulated Cypher on his fine shot and he smiled at them before quickly taking a seat next to his father.

It seemed that the entire purpose of this warm house was to drink water, put rubs on the skin and drink water while telling tall hunting tales and outlandish fishing adventures. By the time he finished his bottle of water Cypher was ready to go back to the cabin. He felt tired, his eyes kept closing and he bumped into his dad a few times.

Illya grabbed his son gently and helped him out to the main room where he got Cypher another drink of water and then helped him get dressed. After the two of them were fully dressed he walked Cypher back to the cabin. The cool air had irritated his lungs again, but he knew if he rubbed some of the cream into his chest and then went back to the warm house that he'd clear up his lungs pretty well. This time Illya returned with Kalizda and he still kept his boxers on when they went into the communal room.

The only reason he went to the communal room was to be with Kalizda. He didn't really want to see that many pale legs of women. Illya brought a small bucket of his oils with and he could feel the medicine on his chest soaking in. At first the coughing fits were much worse sounding, but they began to clear after an hour. Illya kept smearing oils on his skin and then scraping them off every half hour along with sweat and other little toxins. His bucket was filling slowly. By the end of three hours and over two gallons of water he felt a lot better, sweat a lot and his lungs were even mostly back to normal feeling.

There was only an hour left to clean up at the cabin, rest and return to the communal lodge to feast and make merry for several hours. Illya got home, cleaned up and fell asleep. When he woke up Kalizda said they were almost late. She must have let him sleep longer. Smearing more of the Chip Cough treatment on his chest he geared up for the cold weather and walked to the communal building with the family.

Cypher seemed to be quite alert and pleased for the feast. As a successful hunter he was offered one of the first picks of meat. Illya let his son enjoy all there was as an adult. He even allowed Cypher a single sip of one of the alcohols being offered, but no more. As the night drew on there was a little dancing and Cypher was too tired to stay awake, but because he was given the option to stay out the whole night he laid down on the bench where his parents had sat, pulled his father's coat over himself and fell asleep to the sound of merry making.
 
The hunt had been almost over before it began but had been a success over all. Calysta had watched Illya dive into the trail and fire his bow expertly. Her husband was made for this sort of excitement and with his eyes focused on the target, his dark, curly hair rippling in the snowy breeze, he looked dashing. Sexy, even. It stirred her up and made her heart flutter along with a few other places as she saw him kneeling there in the snow. Now that the hunting was over, Illya wanted to help the others go process the meat so Cypher could see it all being done. As much as she wanted to go find a tall haystack to take a tumble in with her husband, he couldn't do that right now and it would be good for Cypher to see all the work that goes into his food.

She let boys go to the butcher shop while she helped with a few arrangements for the feast for later that night. She helped put up the bright purple banners and laid out the silverware to the long community table that occupied the commune house during feast days. The fire pit was stoked up and a whole animal, skinned and drained, was skewered onto the spit. A ladle of juices sat to the side and their cook for the evening began turning the spit while occasionally giving the meat a good dousing of thin flavored gravy. It sizzled on the hot logs below, crackling slightly and let out an aroma that made her stomach growl.

When Illya and Cypher were done working, they went to the warm house and she joined them. It was a small, multi leveled room made of fragrant wood and steam rose up from another room below. The heat felt nice at first. It chased the cold from the hunt out of her bones and she sank back into a bench with her towel firmly around her. A few of the hunters were gathered there too, having just finished up with the butchering and cleaned off to come relax.
"Thaaat waaaas a goood shooot t'day," one of them told her, "Youuu tooook dooown ooone well. Better thaaan I thouuught."

That made her smile. Sometimes it was nice to prove yourself to people when they weren't even asking you to do it. "Aye, I learned in Skycorp, though I admit it's been awhile since I used a bow and arrow."

They chit-chatted back and forth for awhile. One of the men in a towel brought an large green stem full of thick leaves and batted at his back with it. "Stimuuulaates...th' blooood," he grinned. Calysta had no argument against that and nodded along.

After awhile she was joined by Illya and Cypher. By then she was more than warmed up. Her skin was glistening with sweat and as predicted. Cypher was starting to look drowsy too. She left Illya to oil up and scrape off as much as he liked. The process seemed a bit strange, but it made him comfortable and that was the important part. "I'll take Cypher home and get cleaned up, yeah? Come back to the cabin when you're ready." She left Illya with a little wink as she steered their son toward the exit.

She decided to go back to the cabin and dress for the feast after getting Cypher cleaned up and lettin him crash out for a nap. Her tunic for the evening consisted of a thick lined over coat with swirling colors and tassel. It was a traditional look for an honored commune member and had been crafted specifically for her. Illya would be appearing in a matching coat without the flared sleeves and they would wear the white fur coats over them. After getting dressed, she dared to put an ear to Rose's door. Her father had informed her that Rose had not come down from her room for anything. No water, no food. Nothing. Calysta sighed a little and shook her head. Her daughter was stubborn, but even she would get hungry at some point. Rather than rattling Rose's cage, she caught up a little on her work while it was semi-quiet

It wasn't long after that Illya came to the cabin, showered, and then fell asleep himself. While the others were asleep, Calysta kept her eye on a few details. One of the men in the hunt was a newcomer. An outsider who had moved here the year she became councilwoman. It was suspicious, but only slightly. He had married one of the locals and was living as one of them for some gretime. People seemed to know him well and spoke highly of him.

She laid out Illya's clothes and gently woke him up at the last possible moment she could. He had been sleeping so well, with so little coughing, she almost wished she could let him continue.


The feast was a brilliant display. Each community member rose up in succession, orderly and mannered, to pick their spot of meat roasting on the spit. There were also beans, grasses, preserved jams, and breads every few feet along the commune table which stretched from one end to the room to the other. Warm spiced ciders were passed around, and Calysta was invited to the seat of honor beside Jerzyn.

The man regaled her with heavily accented stories of all his people. He knew every single name. He knew their children. Their grandchildren. He had officiated all of the weddings, been there for all the births and deaths. He knew stories about them all and told them with a jovial grin that she couldn't help but reflect. "Y' shoouuulda seeent the maaaan. Theee thouuught he'd gooone beeelly uuup....covered in reeed all oveeer. An' his wiiiife was cryin' aaaan' fighteeen, yeah? Well, theeen we tuuurn him over t' seeeee whaaat had killed hiiiim. The maaan had taaaken too much ciiider an ate a druuum full of jaaam...th' baaastard was asleep w' the drink. When weee see thaaat. Well, we leeet sweeeet Myuriana at hiiiim. I never seeeen a man come ouuut of his stuuupor sooo fast. She never leeet him fooorget neither."

Calysta looked at the pale man, and saw the crimson flushing across his cheeks as he took a long sip of refreshing water, then laughed merrily. "Ooh noo. She never leeet meee forget it."

They laughed and told more stories until the drinks had enough people feeling loosened up to sing. A few fellows jumped up and retrieved some instruments from the corner before striking up a song. The commune came more alive. They all knew the songs and sang along in harmony or clapped in time. She didn't know the songs, but she could clap with the group and it made her smile. There was something so close and happy about the people here. They didnt have alot, and she knew this was their way of making her feel entertained and welcome. They were truly enjoying the feast and the time together though. It reminded her of the Chippeqouti in a certain way. Another song struck up and they sang along with that one too. By the time the third song rolled around, husbands were pulled up their wives to dance merrily and wives were tugging along their husbands who sucked down one last drink before hitting up the dance floor.

Calysta let Illya decide if he was up for dancing. His back wasn't feeling the best and she knew that. To her surprise, he swept her up in a quick beat and they danced deep into the night. Cypher joined them too, clapping his hands and grinning. He wasn't quite sure what to do when a little girl tugged him by the shirt sleeve and pulled him on the fray of dancers. He hesitated only a moment, then decided he was going to try to dance like his father, wild and with unbridled exuberance.

It was well past midnight before Calysta pulled back the large fur coat on the bench. She chuckled as she found her son curled up underneath. She waved Illya over to look at Cypher. "He's all tuckered out," she whispered, "He was so proud to be with today, yeah? If you can carry him, I'll cover him up."

Walking over to where Kalizda was at Illya looked down at his son and grinned. "Oh, dis es nut problem." With a smirk he leaned over and kissed Kalizda before he bent over to pick his son up. Illya's back cracked some and he grunted and then he straightened it again. "Oh, dat was actually helpful." His back did feel better.


Calysta grimaced a little when he his back let out a mighty crack. If it sounded like that to her, she couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to him. However, he claimed he was just fine. "It didn't sound helpful," she shuddered. Then she picked up her coat and put it over Cypher before taking illya's and standing on her toes to drape it over his shoulders. He needed his coat more than she needed hers. "Ready?"

Regardless of what he said Kalizda didn't seem to believe him. "Well, I dun care what yah say, meh back feels better." Illya winked at her and tried to think of something he could do. "Maybe I should prove et eh?"

Calysta raised a brow. He didnt care what she said and he was oh so ready to prove he felt better. "Maybe, when we make it to the cabin," she replied smoothly. She pushed open the door for Illya to walk through and pulled her coat tighter over Cypher in his arms. Cypher burrowed his nose into his father's side a little but kept on sleeping. "Seeing both of you today and seeing our boy like this. Makes me wish we could have a few more," she mused as they walked.

A grin came to Illya's face and he was tempted to try and make things work tonight. Most of the bruising was gone. "Oh, we could try tah do someting exciting." Illya's eyes flashed some and he walked a bit faster toward the doorway. "Maybe we walk faster tah get dere."

Calysta had no idea what excitement they could possibly have beyond cuddling. She wasn't supposed to get him worked up no matter what though. Not even when he has been so wildly handsome running through the woods and pulling back that bow string with his strong arms...Calysta found her cheeks heating. Not now. Not until another week had passed. Illya had picked up the pace and she doubled he strides to keep up. The wind whipped snow around them as they entered their cabin and tucked Cypher snuggly into his cot. The boy hardly moved when they removed his shoes and pulled the covers over him. Calysta did wish they could have more children some day but it simply wasn't prudent given the doctors last recommendation after the twins. Illya seemed eager and she tried to slow him down a bit. "The doctor said to keep it...relaxed. I'd really like to not damage that, yeah?"

When they got to the cabin Illya got Cypher to his bed and he immediately went to their room where he started to kiss on Kalizda. She was reminding him not to do anything and Illya grunted. "Oh c'mon. I tink a little fun won't kill meh tahnight. We could always see how et goes. Maybe we jes decide tah slow down ef et's nut working right. We could do what we talked about dah oter night."

She wanted to do it. Badly. And his kissing was not making it any easier to say no. "I want to...believe me. But I dont want to take the chance we hurt you permanently. One try now could mean lots of bad things later," she said a little breathlessly. She was starting to get riled up herself. "We can try that...aye..soon...when its safe, yeah?"

Illya let out a long breath when she said no for the second time. "Fine." Coughing some he turned his head and then looked back at her. "Well, maybe I could give yah a little excitement eh?"

He sounded terrible dissapointed and she knew he would. Her honest comment about babies hadn't been intended to get him this riled up, but he was all ready to go. Plus, he was still coughing and the idea of him trying any sort of excitement right now seemed like it might make that worse. "Oooh I think if you held me close I'd be quite excited, yeah?" She grinned at him with her grey eyes looking up at him hopefully.

Of course they were going to be relegated to just cuddling and Illya nodded. "Alright." Illya stripped down to just his boxers and he got into the bed and made room for her to curl up and be the little spoon. "Ets so hard nut tah do someting exciting when we're here." When she crawled in he held her tight and whispered sweet nothings in her ear while he gently kissed her. He fully intended on doing that before he got too tired to.

He sounded most definitely disappointed and her want for sex dampened some because she had started this by accident and now he was missing out. She slipped into his arms feeling guilty and a bit sheepish as he kissed her. He whispered to her too and she smiled as her fingers clasped his. "Oooh just you wait. When you're cleared, I'll have some excitement for you. I might even sneak us away just the two of us for a day or two." Maybe that would make up for some of the disappointment now. "How does that sound, love?"

Illya perked up a bit at her suggestion. "Oh, I tink I'm healing very well, dah Ehaui will give meh clear tah go soon. I get check up at dah next stop." The thought of it made Illya a bit more excited. They were here an extra day and then wherever they went would be a few days. It took 2 to get here. It would likely take 2-3 to get wherever they were going. He would be almost 1.5 weeks away from the initial injury and he was feeling far better. Almost all the swelling was gone. They would surely clear him when they saw him next time.

Calysta kissed him and swept her tiny thumb over his knuckles in gentle caresses. "We'll get you checked over soon and then take that little break," she mused, "Until then, know that I love you." She nibbled at his lips and grinned happily. He was her Chip and she loved him dearly.

*********

"Dah! DAH! It's time tah go fishing!"

Cypher's voice blasted through the door way as he pounded against the lock with his meaty fists. "Dah! Jerzyn is here with all dah stuff for fishing! Get up Dah!"

Calysta mumbled and rolled into Illya's chest, her fingers patting for him. It took her a few minutes to process what her son was bellowing about. Jerzyn was here already? She checked the clock. It was 7am and they had over slept. "Illya!" She jolted out of bed, her hair frizzing in every direction and tossed on her robe before wrenching open the door half an inch to peer out at her son. "We'll be down in 15 minutes. In the mean time, why don't you show Jerzyn your Chip sword?" It was dull and Illya had shown him how to handle it properly.

"Can I show him meh Monster spider too?" Cypher asked.

"Only in the cage. Do not take it out," Calysta said, rubbing her eyes. She had slept so well, but the sleep was clinging to her now as she tried to wake up.

Cypher nodded in agreement then dashed off. With her son and the delegate sufficiently distracted, she looked at Illya who was trying to get moving too. "Good morning. Nice day for fishing, yeah?" she mumbled with a sleepy smile.
 
The people here were a rather calm sort and peaceable. Even the stories seemed to indicate that there was very little that disrupted their way of life. It was nice and a bit strange all in one. Usually those that had these sort of stories were farmers. A few of the stories brought a smile to Illya's face. They were pleasant stories though he suspected they also had sad stories. This was a time of celebration though. Ultimately these people were the ones to defeat Lyr and it was very much due to the conditions they lived in. A place like this would be difficult to take, but with some careful planning it would fall quickly. There were limited numbers of people here, very few ways in or out and controlling all exits and entrances would make for a good start.

Through the whole first song Illya was lost in his thoughts about what it would take to defend or capture a place like this. Air power would only do so much. If they fled into the forests you would have to pursue on foot. The people not strong in numbers could be overwhelmed, but it would be a more costly campaign for the number of conquered peoples. If the goal was to take the land then it would make an excellent base or stronghold.

It wasn't until Kalizda bumped him slightly as she swayed to the music of the second song that he realized what was going on. With a little grin he broke the serious expression from his face and set his hands patiently on the table top and listened to the song. After the second song many women were urging their men to get up and dance and this was what he'd been waiting for. Getting to his feet he offered a hand to Kalizda and grinned broadly. "Come dance wit meh."

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

Illya slept better than he had the night before. He only woke up with a coughing fit once and his chest felt a bit better though his ribs were aching terribly from the coughing fits after the hunt. Morning came far too early and it was to the sound of their son beating on their door. Apparently fishing was an early morning activity and Illya had said he would go.

Somehow Kalizda was able to spring out of the bed a bit more quickly than him. Since it was not a matter of life or death he decided that it was something he could move slower on. Carefully sitting up in the bed he thought for a moment of where they put their things in this little cabin. It was easier for him to remember if he kept all his stuff in the travel case. Scooting to the edge of the bed he stared at the case blankly for over a minute and froze in place with no particular thoughts or anything else passing through his mind. He wasn't even sure how long he'd been staring straight ahead when he finally sighed and got up to retrieve his clothing.

Illya was dressed in less than 10 minutes and had his hair combed. He was ready for fishing now and he was still tired out. With sheet lines still on his face he wandered down the stairs of the cabin and smiled at their host. "I'm ready for dis."

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

When they arrived for the ice fishing they were given small jagged blades to cut through the ice. They were supposed to cut something like a circle. To make the cutting easier they could put a heating block over the portion of the ice they intended to cut into. Sawing through the ice was the easiest part for Illya.

Baiting the hook was a bit messy. Illya stabbed himself and the small chunk of meat that he was going to tempt the fish with. Of course the hook was a bit more complicated to get out and he had to push it through the skin and clip the barb off the hook and start over with baiting a new hook. This was at least an activity where he, Kalizda and Cypher could be near one another.

Huddling around the hole in the ice with Cypher and Kalizda they watched and waited while Cypher caught the first large fish. It was quite an accomplishment. Kalizda did well enough and Illya forgot his hook was in the water for his turn and nearly lost the pole. When he pulled his fish up he couldn't help laughing. It was half the size of the fish that Cypher caught. "Well, do dey toss fish dis size back? Do we keep et?" Illya wasn't sure and he wanted to know before he pulled the hook out of the fish's mouth.
 
Ice fishing at the crack of dawn wasn't every 10 year old boy's favorite idea, but for Cypher it was perhaps as exciting as the hunting from yesterday. He had regaled her all about how he had taken his shot. How is father had shown him how and he took a deep breath, then fired. Calysta wrapped an arm around her son's shoulders as they walked through the snow and pulled him to her side with a loving squeeze. "I'm so proud of you coming out with us and trying something new. You did a wonderful job."

He grinned from ear to ear and ran a little ahead when she released him. Children just grew up so fast. How was he almost as tall as her shoulder and already interested in things like hunting. Soon it would interesting in girls too. That idea made her stop thinking so far ahead and she shook herself trying to dislodge the thoughts. Rose was enough teen angst for now.

They walked out onto the ice of a massive lake, one of the very few on Kaereal. "It stays frozen most of the year, Ice is usually a foot thick and solid as stone," Nova said as she passed out the equipment. Jerzyn and Nova showed Cypher how they warmed the ice to soften it just enough to saw through with a serrated hand saw. They let Illya do his own fishing spot and the lines and lures were provided for them. Illya managed to hook himself while trying to bait the hook for the fish. Calysta leaned over to show Cypher how to do it without hooking his thumb.

Cypher's bait was the first down in to their little window to the lake. They huddled around and Nova passed a thermos filled with warm tea to them. "It will keep you warmer for awhile. It's spiced tea." Calysta thanked her and let Cypher and Illya take the first drinks.

It didn't take long for Cypher's fishing pole to bend with the weight of something under the water. "Reel it in..." Calysta said quickly, "Slow a little...then a little faster....there you go...there you go...!" She readied the net to catch whatever was going to come out of the hole in the ice. Cypher tugged and reeled until something large and almost too fat shimmied up from the ice. A long, thick fish flailed at the end of the hook. It was almost bigger than Illya's forearm. "I did it! I did it!" Cypher grinned toothily. Once they got the fish to settle down, Calysta took a hologram of Cypher holding up the huge fish with a smile. "It's big! You did great reeling him in!"

It was Illya's turn to try and this time it took much longer. Calysta had taken to chatting with Nova and Jerzyn off and on about a few policy issues, mainly how they would like to make a few changes to the port, but otherwise keep things very traditional. It was something she was familiar with, particularly with the Chippeqouti. She wasn't going to say that though. Instead, she listened to their proposals and offered to think on solutions to them.

She had almost forgotten they were fishing and apparently so had Illya. His fishing rod began to jerk and wobble, but some how he had spaced out and let go of it. By the time he recovered the fishing rod, and reeled in the catch, he found a fish not much bigger than his hand flopping helplessly on the hook. "Well, do dey toss fish dis size back? Do we keep et?" he laughed, holding up the small catch.

"Toss him back," Nova laughed, "He has some growing to do."

Calysta caught a quick hologram of Cypher and Illya holding up their fish together and then Illya tossed his back into the small hole in the ice. This was one of the most normal, family activities they had done since the tour started and it was a welcome break in the insanity. By the time they were done, they had a dozen large fish to supplement the feast for the evening time. Illya and Cypher went to help prepare the fish and Calysta stopped by the cabin to tell her father, Dane and Rezna they were going out to see Lyr's last battle next.

All of them were interested in coming along and got ready to with Nova as their guide. When Illya and Cypher were done with the fish, they met in the commune house and a large sleigh was pulled up to the entrance by two oxen looking creatures. They had thick fur but were purely domesticated. They would be traveling part of the way by sleigh. She climbed aboard followed by Cypher, Illya, Rezna, Dane and her father. Between all of them, the sleigh was quite full. A blanket was tossed over their legs and Nova grinned at them from the drivers spot. "You're going to want those snow goggles on."

Calysta pulled hers down over her eyes and then Nova kipped up the beasts hauling the sleigh. It took time for them to get moving, but once they had a pace, their sleigh zipped along at an impressive speed through the snow and ice. Calysta took on a game of catch-the-snowflake with Cypher for awhile as they circled the broad, silvery looking mountain.

It took roughly an hour and a half to make it to the open field surrounded by snow laden trees. It looked like any other field from above. As they disembarked, Nova began to speak. "This is the field where Lyr the Conqueror fell. About 75 years ago, a group of archeologists came and asked for permission to excavate around the site to look for remnants of the battle. What they found...well...attracted a bit more attention they we were ever used to. Only a few people have gotten to see the site since then."

Nova lead them to a trap door that seemed very strangely placed in the middle over nowhere. With a grunt, she lifted the door, causing snow to fall away and ice wrapped hinges to crackle. Hauling the door to the side, she pulled out a solar charged flash light and lead them down a set of rough hewn stair case. "They had followed our reports of the last battle. Lyr had been pushed back to this side of the continent. Mainly through guerilla tactics and hunting blinds. My people know their land very well. Every nook and every cranny. His men were ill equipped to stay here in the spring much less facing the winter. They were already starving and their war balloon was far too gone to repair or to return home. Many of their birds were shot down too," Nova continued as they walked through a dark tunnel. "They knew we didn't have the numbers to face Lyr on open ground, even with his dwindling numbers, but my ancestors were smart. They attacked and made Lyr believe they meant to run. Lyr was enraged and followed when he saw them going for open ground. There would be no more trees to hide in. He was getting desperate and he knew his only chance was to beat us outright and control the resources, mainly the food. He and his men followed the hunters into the open field and they began a pitched battle. However, the hunters held them back to the outskirts with purpose. What Lyr didn't know, is that they weakened the ice over the lake here and used some explosive powders to collapse it when Lyr and his men were held in place. It sacrificed many hunters, but it put an end to Lyr once and for all. He died on the battle field, buried in the ice and snow. Almost a thousand years later...he's still there."

Nova turned her light and revealed a wall of ice in front of them. The tunnel opened up wide and rimmed what looked to be an entirely frozen glacier. The water was almost crystalline with a tint of cold blue, and beyond that were strange shapes. Figures frozen in time and nearly perfect preservation haunted the length of the ice all. Some were wearing white, thick furs and holding thick clubs, others were much less warmly dressed with beads and feathers. Their olive toned skin had darkened further in the ice and some were still tangled with each other, while others were posed in strange, terrified moves. A singular man with blacken blood smeared across his face and gripping an ancient, pink bladed war scythe was scowling upward to the surface. Dozens of red and yellow feathers were woven into his hair. One hand gripped his weapon tightly while the other was clawing upward. He looked very much like Tikan, poised and defiant even in death. He died trying to claw his way out.

"That's Lyr the Conqueror," Nova said, "He died when he was swallowed up by the melted ice which froze again in only an hour thanks to the winter temperatures."
 
Illya performed on the fishing trip approximately as he expected. His son and wife out fished him. It was such a relaxing sort of hunt when you dropped a line that he lost at least 2 fish because he didn't pay attention to the first little tug. The fish tended to get away with at least half the bait and he even found himself taking one of the raw chunks of meat and popping it in his mouth just out of habit more than out of hunger. Little bites like that usually tasted good.

The day started to feel incredibly long and he began thinking again of defensive and offensive strategies for the area. Those thoughts slowly faded into scenes from war. It was a cold gorge and they'd been there for days. Huddling behind the rocks and building little snow caves to hide in. There wasn't much they could do, but wait. There was nothing left to eat and they still waited. Many Federation soldiers were clearing out of the area. They didn't believe anyone was left. That was the idea. Still his only companions in sight for the watch were the frozen corpses of the fallen.

Staring almost listlessly at the water he waited. Illya watched the scene play out. The last battle to get those in the mountains free. Hiding, running, freezing and starving. Suddenly his pole jerked and Illya jumped back a bit and pulled too hard. He lost the fish. With a sigh he reeled back a nearly empty hook and put another bit of meat on it.

As hard as he tried to focus on the fishing the cold and the occasional murmur from someone didn't help. Even if it had been silent it wouldn't have helped. There was almost nothing that could drown out the sounds in his ears. Blinking a few times Illya fought to keep his mind in the present. He was fishing. Cypher seemed to be engrossed and determined to catch more. The boy had caught a fair number of fish. Kalizda was busy quietly visiting with the natives and talking with them about matters that needed to be discussed. This was a good time for her. He wasn't going to interrupt it.

When they were finally done with the fishing Illya had caught two fish and found himself feeling a bit shaken. Illya knew it was just the past and yet he felt the same chill and fear. Glancing to the sky and then over to the hills he couldn't shake the feeling. It was as if he were being watched again. That someone was looking for movement, anything at all. He was out here in the open. It was a perfect place for a sniper to shoot him.

Dane was watching the area and Illya knew he was likely safe, but he still felt a bit nervous at times. What if he was shot in public? What if the kids saw it? Kalizda would most likely witness any attempts and like any reasonable person it would bother her. If he died right away he wouldn't really care because he'd be dead. If it didn't kill him right away it would be pretty miserable. He was tired of being shot, stabbed, blown up and shot at. These were all problems that were not present and he shoved them to the back of his mind for the fish gutting process. That did require a little more thought than the other activities.

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

Finally, the time came to go see Lyr and his army. Illya rode in the sleigh and he was thankful that most of it was a smooth ride. At least his back had less to complain about. For now the chilling sensation of being watched had subsided. When they reached the spot Illya walked into the small underground cavern. He remembered to duck after he watched Rezna go in first. Inside they wandered about in the dark and Illya stopped when he heard a final scuff of Nova's boots ahead.

While she described the final conquering battle Illya nodded in approval. For the weapons they had at their disposal they did a good job. Knowing your land was often the greatest weapon. Then when the light shined on the ice wall in front of them Dane leaned forward and Cypher's jaw dropped. Illya could see the frozen bodies. They looked older, bluish and worn. Freezing did that. The skin always died and the blood froze under the surface giving an ugly color. Illya reached out and caught Cypher's hand before he touched the ice. "No, dis warrior did nut die wit his spirit en peace. Dun touch him. We cannot know what his spirit will do."

Dane looked over and nodded before he spoke in Quoti. "He could not go to the Four Winds. Lyr was wicked man. Only death would take him. He would never fight the battles of the winds."

"Lyr couldn't anyway. He is not Chippequoti and his spirit is trapped." Illya glanced at the bodies of all the warriors. "All of their spirits. They struggle in frozen bodies that cannot move."

Both men stared at the bodies for a few more moments. Neither one of them wanted to stare any of the bodies in the eyes. Illya purposefully kept his gaze away from the eyes of Lyr. "I think that if his spirit could escape it would use Tikan to finish his work."

"Why not choose someone less likely?" Dane argued. "He could accomplish more with the body of another. Do you think he would kill the spirit of the one that he chose?"

"Evil spirits make the one they capture silent." Illya mused and they stared a bit longer till Cypher pulled his father's hand and asked to go. At that they turned to leave. "This is why they burn the body of the 7th General. They wanted his spirit to be taken by the winds and given to death. They hoped that death would never release his spirit to fight in the heavens or anywhere else again."
 
Calysta felt goose pimples rise all over her skin. These people had died a thousand years ago but their actions had lived far longer. Here they were, captured in battle until the ice melted or until some long storied god released them from death. Lyr looked like a mad man. A horror to haunt the nightmares of generations to come with his frozen skin and angry grimace at the surface. She shivered some and watched as Cypher reached out to touch the ice before being stopped by Illya. She thought for a moment it was out of respect for the dead, but the quick, almost impossibly fast conversation between her husband and Dane made her think it might be more out of fear of some kind of spirits. It was strange, she hadn't thought he believed outsiders could be taken by the Four Winds and then there were a few words she didn't recognize or couldn't catch the ghist of in their low tones. She did catch Tikan's name and something about a spirit too. Did they think Tikan was a reincarnation, like Illya was to the 7th General. Her mind snapped to that idea when he made a final comment about how they burned the 7th General so death would take him. The comment left her confused. She had never heard of such a figure in Chippeqouti tales, at least not yet. Frowning, she thought over many of the things she read, but this character of death had never been there. Only the Four Winds. Of course, she had not read very many religious texts on the matter and hardly any were available. Most of what she knew came from the bits and pieces she had put together over the years thanks to Yvonne and Edgar.

Before she could ask more about these spirits and about death, Nova cut her off.

Nova listened to the two men talk back and forth in lower whispers. When Illya grew quiet, she tilted her head curiously. "What were you saying?"

Breaking his stare away from the figures imprisoned in ice Illya answered. “We talk about dah angry spirits yah have captured here.”

Nova glanced at Lyr and back to Illya. "You think they are still here?"

“Yes,” Illya replied, “Dere bodies are buried en ice and dere spirits are trapped enside. All of dem. Dey still fight dah battle en ice wit dere spirits and never move and never see completion of battle. Even yah heroes spirits will be angry. Yah must never let dem out unless yah know dah wind dat called dere spirits.”

Nova shuddered some and held the solar lamp a little higher as she looked to the frozen bodies trapped forever. "I dont think we have any plans to free them. They will stay here for eternity until the God of the Mountain shakes off his cold mantle and the world falls to ruin. I hope that's long time from now."

Nodding some Illya glanced at them again. “Dat es probably when dah god of deat releases dah warriors he keep for himself. Dey are wicked and dey destroy anything dat stops dem from dere goal.”

"You think the god of death releases the undead among the living?" Nova asked, her tone curious.

Illya shrugged. “Someday and dah Four Winds release dah warriors and dose dey claim. Dey will conquer dah evil ones from dah god of deat.”

"Hmmm..." Nova hummed, thinking over what he said, "That sounds better than what becomes of evil ones captured by the Old God." Cypher tugged at Illya's hand and Calysta offered hers to him and he took it quietly. "I think its time to go," Calysta mentioned . Nova's question was a fair one but had stalled their exit and Cypher was eager to leave now.

“Maybe.” Illya didn’t care to have a debate with an outsider. She didn’t understand their stories or culture. “We go now.”

Of course, that hadn't been quite what he had said and Calysta knew it, but she wasn't going to mention it. He said what he wanted her know, and for now it was enough. Cypher tugged on her hand and she gave him a reassuring squeeze before walking along with him to the trap door that lead to the surface. Things felt different above ground. Brighter and less heavy than they had in the tunnel below. Maybe it was because there they were looking death in the face. She had done that many times, and Illya even more the she had.

She thought over their conversation, and again fell short of remembering anything but the Four Winds, animism and a bit of occult with the Chippeqouti religion. This was the first time any sort of judgement system had been mentioned. Her thoughts were cut off when Cypher hugged her close on the sled. "Are you alright?" she asked in Kaerelean to him. He nodded, but she could tell seeing Lyr had scared him. His father's quick reaction hadn't helped much either. "You know," she said, "I thought it was pretty creepy down there too, but it is a part of history. Our history, yeah? You got to see something not many people have ever seen. Lyr was scary in life, but he is frozen there and gone like any other man." Cypher still looked uncomfortable and she pulled the fluffy blanket over them for the cold ride back to town. "And just remember, Dah and I are here if you want to talk about it more, yeah?"

She kissed the top of his head and let him slowly relax tucked under her arm. Perhaps bringing him along had been too much for him, but he was getting to the age where he understood things more. He understood mortality, even if he hadn't seen much of it. This wasn't the worse scenario he could have been introduced to it in.

While they rode, Rezna leaned back some and stretched her long legs in the sleigh. "That was interesting. Oi, Dane. If I go down in a fight, don't preserve me like a frozen fish in a pickle jar or toss my bones off the edge. Do something useful with this hide of mine, make some leather out of it. Hell make a knife handle out of my bones, for all I care. Anything but stuck like that. Got it?"

***********

They ate dinner as a family and the fish they caught was an excellent addition to the main courses. Everyone but Rose had come down for the meal. The girl was still in full pouting mode and had officially gone over 24 hours without her pad, her boyfriend, net service, or food as far as Calysta could tell. A hunger strike wasn't going to sway them out of her punishment for sneaking off though. They ate and sang along with more tunes with the commune and then the children began to grow tired. Cypher was wiped out and Lohgan danced until she was too tired to so more than shuffle.

Calysta lead her children home in a little duck line and occasionally had to keep Lohgan from sliding in the ice, by lifting her by the hand to reset her feet on the ground. The girl was heavier than she looked, like all of her children, and Calysta slid along in some spots, pulled by her daughters weight. They made it to their cabin and she tucked each of the kids in bed with Illya, then they retreated to their own bedroom.

She sat down on the bed and began unbraiding her hair as she watched Illya. He had spaced out a few times today as well. First when they woke up and quite a bit when they went fishing. It wasn't like him to do that unless he was having absence seizures. Thinking on the events of the day, she leaned over and checked to make sure he had taken all of his medication in the morning. It was all gone. for sure. Maybe he was just stressed? They did have alot going on and the news of the assassins didn't help.

She tugged off her tunic and then reached for his hand. "I'd give a kiss for your thoughts, yeah?"
 
When they had partied another night away and were safely back in their cabin Illya felt a small sense of relief. Tomorrow their additional security would be arriving and Illya was sure that having the extra security would greatly improve the safety of the family. It would also improve his safety and he wasn't going to deny that he felt better knowing that. Nobody wanted to die by assassination.

After he and Kalizda finished putting the kids to bed they went to their room. Illya didn't usually take as long as Kalizda did to get undressed and this night was no exception. He was already out of his shirt because he stripped it off before they got to their room. He was working on untying his shoes while he sat on the bed when he heard Kalizda speak. "I'd give a kiss for your thoughts, yeah?" Illya grinned and looked deep into her eyes. He was ready. "Sounds like good trade. Meh toughts are dat yah very beautiful."

She smiled and blush crept to her cheeks as his green eyes gazed at her for a long moment. "Ooh. I like that thought.," she admitted shyly, "What about earlier today, yeah?"

Apparently that wasn't supposed to be flirtatious. Illya was slightly surprised and he blinked a few times at her in surprise. "Yah weren't flirting wit meh? Dat sounded like flirting." After a second he chuckled and then thought for a moment about what she might be asking him about. "Ehmmm....Lyr has bad spirit?"

He faltered and looked at her in surprise, but she wasn't entirely sure why. Had she said something that surprising? Flirting? His response sounded like he was lost on what to say, so he chuckled and offered up the only other thing he could think of in the moment. "Aye, I can flirt and ask you about your thoughts at the same time," she replied with a little laugh, "I wasn't sure what you thought about him. I couldn't quite keep up with the conversation you had with Dane. Can you explain it to me more?" She was curious and looked at him hopefully from her spot on the bed.

Based on Kalizda's response Illya wasn't sure what he could have said or Dane said to make this more clear. The entire conversation was obvious. At least he thought it was. "Lyr has spirit dat wants blood. Dis es spirit dat dah Four Winds dun want. Dey would give him to dah god of deat ef dey catch him. When Chippequoti die dey must be given to dah wind dat calls dem when dey take last breat. Dah wind will accept yah for dere army, or dey will send yah to dah god of deat ef yah evil and want only deat. Dis answers yah question?"

Calysta listened and remained quiet for a moment. "Some. I just never knew your god of death collected souls too. I've only heard about them when I learned about how the Chippeqouti were created according to your religion. So, the 7th General was burned and rejected from the Four Winds and sent to Death?"

"Yes, he was. Dah Chippequoti believe dat he will help lead dah wicked spirits at dah end and dah Four Winds will combine armies dat practice war for dis last battle. I like tah tink dah Four Winds will win, but dere are many wicked spirits and den..." Illya shrugged. "Well den....Whichever army wins dey will perform execution ceremony of oter spirits for eternity. Dey will kill dah defeated spirits over and over."

Chippeqouti religion reminded her exactly why she didn't like religion in the first place. Who were these beings to judge someone to be good or evil and what standards did they use. Every god had it's own measuring stick as far as she knew. "So, they divide and divide to fight each other. The means, assuming no more arrive, there would only be on spirit left. What happens then? You rise up and do it all over again?"

"Nut quite. Et's close enough. I jes tink we're done talking about dis.' Illya was feeling more agitated as he thought about it. "I'm nut upset wit yah. Dis es nut someting I like tah tink about. Ef dah god of deat wins den I jes get executed for all time. Ef meh wind wins den I will fight Isla or Lahna. Dey did nut die wit same wind. Maybe I would fight bot. I dun choose dah wind dat calls meh name."

It may not have been true for her, but for him, this was the reality he would face after death according to his tradition. It was horrific too. She understood why he didn't want to talk about it anymore, but she didn't regret asking because she wanted to understand. "I can see why," she said quietly. Then she finished unlacing her braid and peeled back the covers. If she did believe in the Four Winds, she was positive they wouldn't want her at all in their armies. What good was someone who would refuse to execute people for all of eternity? "One more thing and I'll leave it alone. You mentioned something about Tikan finishing Lyr's work? But I didn't understand the context. What did you mean?"

Kalizda seemed interested in this stuff. Quit a bit more than he had assumed. "Et's simple. Ef an evil spirit es nut sent to dah winds et will wander and look for body tah live en. Tikan es Rey and he looks like dah body dah first spirit has. He would make obvious choice for Lyr's spirit tah take."

She wondered whether or not if Tikan were taken over if his body or his soul would be judged by the Winds and sent to death. It was a question she didn't ask though. She had promised that was the last one and she wouldn't bother him about it anymore. "I see. Well, that makes what was said make more sense now. Thank you for explaining it to me. I don't always know things and I like to learn what I can, yeah?"

"Mhmm." Illya finished untying his shoes and kicked them off before stripping off his pants and then he walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He did things a little out of order, but tonight was strange. Kalizda never showed that much interest in the Four Winds before. With his mouth full of toothpaste he poked his head out the door and decided to ask her something. "Why ah curis ow?"

He seemed ready for bed now and so was she. Calysta unclasped her belt, shirked off her pants, and shimmied into bed while Illya brushed his teeth. After a momet, he poked his head out of the bathroom door and asked her something. Between the accent and his mouth full of toothpaste, it was hard to tell what he said. "Why am I curious now?" she repeated, "Well...you've never really spoken about them to me or around me very much until you were chatting with Dane and I heard things I didn't understand."

She got what he said and Illya nodded in response to her repeat his question and then again when she answered. "Mmm." Getting back into the bathroom he finished brushing his teeth. Illya was a bit vigorous with some of it and accidentally hit himself in the back of the throat. With a gag and cough he heaved into the sink. "Ugh...." Grabbing some disposable towels Illya grabbed the chunks out of the sink and threw it in the trash can and then washed the rest down the sink before rinsing his mouth. "Tink I will get snack before bed." Illya called over his shoulder at Kalizda.

He nodded and kept brushing but a gagging sound followed by a gross splattering into the sink made her haul up out of bed. "Illya? Are you okay?" The nexr thing she knew, he was washing out his mouth and then saying something about a snack. That was one thing about him she would never understand. How could he just vomit and then go eat? "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. Jes eh...hit dah back of meh troat wit dah brush by accident." A sheepish grin spread across Illya's face and he opened the bedroom door to see Rezna and then cursed under his breath as he wandered back into the room to grab his pants off the floor. "Want anyting while I'm in dah kitchen?"

She laughed a little and shook her head. "Ooh no. I think I'll be here waiting for you. I'm not hungry."

Illya wandered down to the kitchen. There wasn't a lot left to eat since they were almost ready to leave, but there was some of the wonderful beast from the hunt with a nice thick slab of onion and some bread. Illya put all that together and had a nice sandwich about 1.5 times the size of his fist and the meat nearly as thick as his thumb. With the sandwich in hand he grinned at Rezna and then started back up the stairs.

Once Illya was safely inside the bedroom again with his sandwich he held onto it with one hand while he unbuttoned his pants and slid them off with the other. Getting into the bed next to Kalizda he gave a contented grunt. "Mmm...Dah meat tastes good even cold." Tilting the sandwich toward her he offered a bite. "Sure yah dun want any?"

Since she didn't answer fast enough he started to turn the sandwich back toward himself and the meat flopped out on her with a wet slap sound. Illya's jaw dropped for a second and then he started to snicker as he peeled it off the side of her cheek. "Oops." The onion started to drop out and the rings bounced apart and rolled across his lap. By this time it was impossible not to laugh. Illya gathered the food and stuffed it back into the sandwich. It was a bit messy while he finished it, but at least it tasted good.

When he was done eating he went back into the bathroom and brushed his teeth again. Unfortunately brushing his teeth didn't get rid of the onion breath. It didn't matter, he didn't think it was that bad. Illya turned out the bathroom light and then the bedroom light and groped along the way to find the end of the bed. When he found what he figured was his side he crawled up the bed and got under the covers. Grabbing Kalizda around the waist he pulled her close to be the little spoon. "I love yah." Illya breathed gently.

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

"Oooh, brisk place tah meet up at." Mihael shuddered and glanced at Bahn. The two Chip men stared at the Kaerlean and the Rey. This was going to be a short hike if the other two could keep up. Bahn and Mihael set a stiff pace and the Rey kept up. That wasn't surprising, what was surprising was the Kaerlean that managed to keep up. Apparently this Kaerlean was asked because they were part of the Kaerelean special forces and there was something about diversity on the ship.

When they reached the cabin the two Dark Chip men had their shoulders up to their ears. Dane was standing outside in a thick coat and he raised a single eyebrow at the four new security members. After he scanned them he allowed them to go inside. Bahn immediately went to the kitchen to get something to eat and Mihael scanned the house though he froze when the upstairs room opened to reveal Illya stepping out of the bedroom without his shirt on. After it occurred to Mihael that's all that was upstairs he looked around the rest of the house.

Kalizda was in the kitchen and Bahn in his usual loud voice offered to help with breakfast. Mihael wandered over to the living room and stood there wondering exactly what the food arrangements were. Illya came down the stairs and he gave a good groan before snatching Lohgan off the floor. The girl squealed in delight. "Aaaah, yah better run little girl. I'm gonna catch yah again." Setting her down he chased her off and then ran back up the stairs to grab his shirt before coming back down.

Once he was down the stairs again Illya welcomed the extra security. "Kalizda and I will make breakfast for yah tahday. Den we split dah duties on dah shep. Dere esn't as much tah do dere." Today was a more relaxed day and Illya was glad for it. Briefly talking to Dane and Mihael in Quoti he sent Mihael off to introduce himself to the kids. He was perhaps the only member of the Elite that they hadn't really met before. Of course that resulted in a scream and Lohgan dashing over to him to wrap her arms around Illya's legs while he talked with the Kaerelean and Rey. Reaching down he held onto Lohgan's little head. "Yah fine, Mihael es safe. He will be traveling wit us eh?" Lohgan shook her head and Illya laughed. "She likes yah." With that all the men laughed and then Illya continued talking with the Reylian and Kaerlean.

"Now yah bot come wit highest recommendation. One of dah tings I dun know es much about yah. I have yah files wit pertinent information regarding yah service. What I need es little more information. Yah can share et en report or yah can come talk wit meh privately on dah shep later today. Whatever question I ask yah, yah could ask meh en return." Now that they all knew a few basics Illya stepped into the kitchen to find it was already full. There wasn't any room left. "Ooh, I get out of here. Nut enough room for meh." It was a great excuse to do nothing.

Nothing wouldn't last though. The twins came crawling toward him with drool and boogers hanging. Each of them had big grins. Illya picked them up one after another and grinned, but was careful to use their blankets to wipe their little faces off. "Ooh, yah so gross." Both boys giggled at him and one of them slapped the side of his head and grabbed his hair. "Oowe, careful, yah gonna make meh bald." He didn't lose any hair, but it felt like he might for how hard Tomas pulled. Illya played with the twins, Lohgan and Cypher until Bahn announced that breakfast was ready.
 
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