[IC] Star Crossed: The Duke's Rebellion

[Syrenrei]

Solae still wore the same gown as before, finding it the best representative of herself, her family, and the position she held in the Stellar Empire. If she was honest with herself, she also was inclined to keep on the dress that had left Rene speechless. While she was an ambassador, explorer, and duchess, she was also a woman absolutely smitten with a man, and she found herself incredibly biased towards the reactions of her beloved. Because he found her breathtaking in the hues of blue and gold, and his eyes had traced the flattering design, she felt twice as beautiful than when she was admiring herself in a mirror.

Lacking appropriate attire for a formal occasion, besides the suit that doubled as a uniform, both Yarue and Dasin had eagerly accepted the woven clothing generously gifted to them by their Kalderi hosts. It was of an obvious different style, but it marked the first major thread of commonality between the races, and the pair of Syshin had marveled over the craftsmanship between themselves. Both wore slacks tailored to their leg joints (a better fit than any previous) and a tunic that flowed from their shoulders to their knees. Unlike either the human or Kalderi, however, there was no metallic adornment. The Syshin's culture centered on the earth as it was rather then glittering gems or aesthetic decadence. They wore a deep chocolate brown with thread of sapphire blue, emerald green, and vibrant shades of orange and yellow that represented water, vegetation, the sun and sand of their home world. They had come far from the arid, windy planet, but it was still dear in their hearts, even if neither had personally set foot on one of its deserts.

"This is like a temple," Yarue observed in Syshin, his eyes following the kaleidoscope of colors dancing along the shifting walls. "Our kind comes from a place that does not have oceans like these," he added in the common tongue, making an effort to be polite by using the universal language. "Water is..." he turned to Solae for translation help and, once she gave him the word, continued, "sacred to us. I wish I could show my people this place."

It was more a furtive desire than a request, but Lithyll stared at him calmly for a moment and nodded. "We will make a recording on a crystal for you," he offered. "You will be able to use it to create a visual copy like your... holograms you call them. Would that be acceptable?"

Darue and Yasin bowed deeply, genuinely moved by such a gift. The former was so sincerely touched he emoted something like a melancholy joy, which did not have a name in the imperial tongue, but was nonetheless profound. Darue mourned that he could not provide the real experience, because he recognized how blessed he was to have found empathetic humans doing so much on his behalf, and aliens that were similarly understanding, and felt almost guilty that he could not share in the bounty. Happiness swelled inside him as well, though, that he could return to the Syshin with visions of magical places they could travel if Solae's equality endeavors were successful. He remained cautiously optimistic. No one doubted the truth of her passion, but remained to be seen if her convictions could persuade others enough to combat the prejudice inherent in their society.

"I'm ready," Rosaria announced, uncomfortable with the delays.

"Yes, let us proceed Lithyll. I'm very excited to have Sir Rene dance with me," she said with an unabashed wink to her beau.

[Penny]

Rene grinned at Solae in a fashion which would have made the instructors of the Imperial diplomatic corps wince. Well what were they going to do force him to join the Marines? The thought made him chuckle to which Solae raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“I was just thinking,” he told her, “that being a disgraced former aristocrat who was forced to join the Marines before going on the run with my fiancee who happens the Duchess of a sector in open rebellion against the Empire currently hiding out on an alien world is not without its advantages. To which end...” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately full on the lips, an act which seemed to draw the howls of all his former etiquette tutors forth from the ether. To hell with it, let the Kalderi see that humans lived and loved as much as they hated and calculated. Rosaria made a strangled sound of shock at the display and after a moment he reluctantly released Solae and straightened up, the ghost of a grin on his face.

“I believe we are ready,” he murmured to Lithyll. As though on que a fanfare, clearly meant to be Imperial but evinced from alien instruments commenced, adding its own rhythmic shimmers to the rainbow coruscance of the undersea hall. Solae stepped out as Rene hastily adjusted the crimson sash that covered his sword belt which had been disturbed in his impromptu display of affection. Lithyll preceded them and took a place off to the side. He spoke at some length in his own tongue before switching to Galactic for the benefit of his guests.

“I present Solae Falia, Duchess of the Eastern Cross and Ambassador Plenipotentiary of her Serene Majesty Mercedez Villantre Monarch of the Stellar Empire and her fiance Colonel Renard Du Quentain of Her Serene Majesty's Imperial Marines. They come before our community in peace to seek understanding and common purpose with our people,” he intoned formally. There was a beating of wings from the gorgeously clad Kalderi answered the pronouncement. There seemed to be two or three score of the aliens, each bedecked in silken garments similar to Lithyll’s although no one other than their host wore a head covering. Some of the more slenderly built Kalderi wore gowns that were more sheer though they seemed to lack obvious breasts as a human would understand such things. Instead their gowns seemed to accentuate hips with elaborate tracery and cut aways to smooth golden flesh. Given the human capacity for sexual inclusiveness Rene imagined there were humans who would find the aliens attractive but he was not among that number.

“I Lithyll of the community of Ranal Pindi stand as their host and guarantor,” he added after the noise died down. Another Kalderi a male if Rene was any judge, stepped forward. He was draped in a bright almost metallic red with silver and black threading woven through the cloth that made Rene think of the scales of a tropical fish. He too spoke in his own tongue and was received with somewhat less applause. He turned and bowed formally to Solae.

“I Andalyll of the community of Ranal Pindi stand as their adversary and guardian,” he said in halting Galactic that was understandable if lacking in Lithyll’s polish. He gave Solae a toothy smile and then drew a head covering of black lace from a pocket and draped it over his head. If this development was unexpected Lithyll showed no sign of it, offering the other Kalderi a congenial smile. Andalyll gave them both measuring glances. Rene once again found himself frustrated to be part of a game of which he didn’t know the rules. At least he thought, no one was shooting at him. The thought brought a grim smile to his face which seemed to startle the new comer.

“Let the dance begin beloved friends,” Lithyll intoned and soft music sprang up from some unseen source, the vibrations seeming to mellow the timber of the room and mute the rainbow colors into soft gorgeous pastels.

[Syrenrei]

The diplomat carefully evaluated her options in that moment. Much as she wanted to dance with Rene immediately, there was the implication that once they did so that there would be an opening for another male to challenge the right to seek the duchess as his mate. Solae did not want her first impression to defined as beginning with two men battling over her, especially since the courtship ritual apparently had little or nothing to do with her feelings on potential suitors, and could lend itself to arguments that humanity was warlike in nature. They could not entirely avoid dancing- nor would she try- but it was possible to navigate the room to engage in pleasant conversation beforehand. Hopefully she could establish herself as an intelligent, compassionate representative of her race and government, creating a positive bias before conflict and debate. She had also noticed how her soldier beau grimaced when the topic of sparring was broached. A few delays would undoubtedly be appreciated before he had his mettle tested in front of a large audience.

With a nod to Lithyll to express her gratitude, as well as one to Yarue and Dasin to indicate they would be separating temporarily, she moved to a side of the event hall, Rosaria in tow. Truth be told, the Syshin would have greatly preferred to stay in close proximity to the humans they knew rather than speak with strangers, but the linguist had impressed upon them how important it was for them to make this venture on their own. In this formal setting it would be inappropriate to rely upon them as bodyguards barring an act of terrorism or assassination attempt. Solae could spend the rest of her life advocating for the aliens, but they had to make steps to gain their independence as well. Some of the resistance exhibited by Yarue and Dasin was because this new environment was stressful, some was because they did not have many similarities evident with the Kalderi, and though they did not voice it aloud, some was because they had spent years being a slave without agency. As empathetic as she was to their frustrations and struggles, this felt like a safe foray for them into the universe, a way to make a subset of the galaxy recognize them as Syshin, not just subjugated imperial citizens.

Although the Kalderi expressed apprehension about the humans, as was conveyed in their body languages and the subtleties of their interactions, curiosity overruled their reservations. By no stretch of the imagination were they a patriarchy, but some of them seemed surprised that it was Solae who was the person of greater importance, either because they perceived the Stellar Empire to favor men or because their own culture had such bias. The first group she approached was the most hesitant, but she broke the ice by complimenting their attire, delicately inquiring their names and about their passions, they warmed quickly. Soon she was was fielding more questions about humanity than she had prepared for- about nuances of their governing body, biology, culinary achievements, animal domestication, technology improvements at the opposite end of the borders (where the Kalderi could not observe), and ancient history. Here she relied on Rene intermittently to catch her breath. A few queries would have been frowned upon in the imperial courts, such as details of their physiology or personal lives, but the aristocrat didn't want to refuse them and breach etiquette.

What fascinated the Kalderi even more than a congenial wealth of information available in the form of Solae and Rene were the circumstances of their arrival. A few were obviously skeptical about the motivations of these seemingly overly generous humans, but they were sincerely amazed that the pair had chosen to free the Syshin they had gone out of their way to save, then making them employees who were compensated and respected for their contributions. Equally intriguing was Rosaria, the youth at their side who was not biologically related to them, yet they fed her, sheltered her, and taught her, treating her with affection. What little interaction the Kalderi had with humanity since the ancient days of hostility was from afar, a few trading with art pieces. They did not think the other bipedals were necessarily villainous, but they had come to assume they did not have a robust sense of community and cooperation, that they centered more on self than their peers. Solae's actions contradicted this assumption.

"This is boring," Rosaria complained to Rene quietly as she listened to the adults drone on about the contributions of sculpture to modern imperial architecture. Turning to look around her expression brightened suddenly. "Hey, I think a Kalderi is wandering over here to challenge you for Solae!" She did not share his sense of dread for melee; since she wasn't involved personally, she was quite excited to see the swordplay.

True to her word, there was an male Kalderi that was pointedly crossing the floor, albeit around the couples already dancing, his eyes fixed on the duchess whose back was turned.

[Penny]

Rene gave Rosaria a level look. Violence had an appeal to those who did not themselves practice it. Rosaria's life had not been an easy one and she would have been exposed to the calculated brutality of Alayla Thorne's criminal empire, but she had never herself held a blade or a gun with the intent to kill, or watched helpless while bullets cut down friends and comrades. It must have seemed to her like all her problems might have been solved with a gun or a knife, but Rene knew better than most that a gun wasn't a magic wand that fixed a situation just because you waved it around.

"Duchess Falia," the Kalderi declared, his galactic broken but intelligible. The alien looked to be a young male, muscular and in good shape, though there was discoloration on his face that might have been a result of his clearly heightened emotional state. As Rosaria had noted he wore a sword at his side and his hand tightened and loosened on the hilt with what might have been nerves or anger. Rene's own hand drifted unobtrusively to his sword, not so much thinking of a challenge as of the alien making a sudden lunge for Solae. Kalderi were quick, but Rene was confident enough in his training and his own genetic enhancement to believe he could intercept such a strike.

"You claim to speak for the Humans, then you must answer for their crimes!" the male declared loud enough the the buzz of conversation died away as every Kalderi in the ballroom turned to look at him. Rene risked a quick glance around the room Lithyll looked discomforted and several other Kaleeri looked away and drooped their wings in what Rene took for embarrassment.

"You have no voice here Totlya," Lityll said sternly, stepping towards the younger male. Totlya thrust out a hand shoving Lithyll back and caused another murmur of disapproval from the other Kalderi. It seemed that the community focus of Kalderi society made any kind of police or security element unpalatable as it segregated one group from another. From what little Rene had been able to learn, even the ships above them were considered their own communities rather than an extension of this one and only incidentally fulfilled the role of protecting the planet.

"I have a voice as a challenger, and I declare a challenge for this female," Totlya snapped, wings beating in agitation as he gestured to Solae.

"As my mate was taken from me without proper challenge by a human, so shall I do," he snapped barring his teeth. Lityll hesitated clearly on the brink of making a further objection but the other Kalderi, Andalyll , stepped forward. It was difficult to read his expression, but Rene thought that he too looked a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Totlya, has a voice as a challenger," he agreed glancing between the agitated younger male and the pair of humans. Andalyll's wings seemed to shift rapidly in agitation though Rene couldn't see it in the Alien's face. Totlya smiled triumphantly before turning to the crowd.

"As many of you know, my mate was taken from me by one of the humans, a so called trader, carried off without proper challenge and smuggled aboard his starship to be taken who knows where! Are we to allow these human barbarians to steal us away in the night?! There must be justice for the sake of the community!"

[Syrenrei]

"I apologize," Solae cut in smoothly, her voice melodic and pleasant to the ears. To everyone else she was being diplomatic, polite, and effortlessly congenial, but her companions knew the calm tenor of her voice was a mask for the deadly strike hidden beneath her words. The golden-haired aristocrat had not been assigned to the New Concordian embassy as an act of nepotism or favoritism for the late marquise; she had earned her position with skill, knowledge, and a sharp wit, one that now intuitively guided her down a path of how to navigate this difficult foreign situation. "I would appreciate some clarity as an outsider of the community and culture," she said, with a respectful bow of her head to Andalyll and Lithyll. They dipped their heads in turn, and she could see that her gesture was appreciated, the crowd watching her without the same disdain in their eyes as when they regarded Totlya.

"Again, I apologize if I am misunderstanding, but a challenge against my fiance for me, yet the challenger is making accusations against humanity. I can not possibly speak for all of the human race, even as the ambassador for my empress; however, if I am required to do so, I humbly request that I speak with the representative for the entirety of the Kalderi race, as it would be only fair. Does Totlya speak for all Kalderi, this community, or himself only?" she inquired placidly, without a hint of aggression, though her question cut deep into the pride of the young male. No one in the room wielded authority over their species; were a comparison to be made, Solae had a voice for a vastly larger population, though the empire, than anyone else in attendance. Guests of the ball visibly cringed at the implication Totlya would speak for all of them, embarrassed for his behavior, and humiliated it could be interpreted as their opinion.

"Totlya has a voice as a challenger only," Andalyll affirmed, quick to point out the distinction when the opportunity was afforded to him. The duchess thought she spotted a fleeting expression of relief wash over the features of Lithyll that this would not be recounted later as an aggressive stance of Kalderi judgment.

Stepping forward, her dress sweeping the floor, the sapphire blue and gold decorations sparkling under the ambient light, she had the outward appearance of trying to distinguish herself visually from the group she had been conversing with until interrupted. In reality, she was putting herself closer to Renee. Confident as she was that she could run verbal circles around the male Kalderi that was addressing her, she was keenly aware that she could provoke him into anger. Dasin and Yarue had started to cut a wide circle around the room as if they too sensed how easily conflict could escalate into violence. The Kalderi on a whole were peaceful, but every populace had outliers, and she took her risks with an appropriate level of caution.

"I can not deny your right to challenge Sir Rene, but I must advise you that I was personally appointed by her highness, Empress Mercedez Viatrente, and can not be discharged from my duties by anyone except the empress. As this appointment is very close to her highness, and I have no heir to act in my stead, my obligations would come before those of my mate, unless they had a similar level of responsibility to their ruler and empire. If this is not the case with Sir Totlya, he would either have to travel with myself and my retinue to imperial space after my visit here has concluded, or else my absence will be viewed... severely. Her highness may consider it an act of war," she elaborated, eliciting a few scandalized gasps and murmurs, "and a certain adversary of mine seeks me, without virtue or honor. Sir Rene, as my mate, has had to protect me from assassination attempts made by the military forces of this adversary, as they use despicable means to obtain what they covet. Sir Totlya, do you still wish to challenge Sir Rene?"

Totlya did not blanche as a human did, but he had lost much of his bravado. It had flagged when Solae elaborated on how he would become secondary to her, assimilated into human society, and almost vanished completely after she had casually mentioned how his taking her for himself could be construed as an act of war. Mention of the threat of Duke Alexis Tan (though unnamed) had compelled him to change his mind about trying to win her by ritualistic combat. Every Kalderi was looking at Rene, whose accomplishments had been alluded to briefly, with a mixture of reverence and awe. If Solae had to wager a guess, Totlya had realized he did not have as good of a chance against the human as he first estimated.

"If it is agreeable to Sir Andalyll and Sir Lithyll," she continued, meeting their gazes and bowing her head respectfully a second time, "I would like to prove the good will and honorable intentions of myself, Sir Rene, and by extension, her highness Empress Mercedez Viatrente, by investigating your missing citizen."

[Penny]

It was clear to Rene that Totlya was completely baffled but this turn of events. The young Kalderi had obviously rehearsed the scene in his mind so many times that the radical divergence from his expectations was too much for him to quickly compute. It certainly didn't help that the conversation was being held in a language that he was unfamiliar and was struggling to follow, especially as the nuance increased. Totlya seemed to hesitate opening and closing his mouth and then lowered his eyes. Lithyll quickly stepped forward and raised his hands.

"Totlya no longer speaks as challenger," Lithyll declare in a sonorous voice. Andalyll was at his side at a moment, he glanced at Totlya briefly conflicted but then nodded his head.

"Agreed, there is no challenge," Andalyll agreed lifting his hands also. There was a murmur of approval that ran through the crowd. Totlya opened his mouth to object, but then, in a very human fashion, his shoulders slumped as he gave over the idea of the challenge. Rene wasn't sure whether it was fear or a reluctance to take on a community consensus, perhaps it was both. Seizing the moment Rene stepped forward and put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Is there anyone else? Any other challengers, speak now or hold your peace," he declared. Lithyll gave him a startled look but spoke in his own tongue in what Rene presumed was a translation. There was a negative buzz from the crowd and many faces looked at Totlya in what might have been embarassment. Rene removed his hand from his sword and smiled encouragingly.

"Good," he went on, "let this be a night for new friends and new experiences, with no more talk of violence or strife." That bought a louder rumble and several Kalderi beat their wings in enthusiastic agreement. Rene stepped back to Solae. Lithyll smiled approvingly.

"That was well done Duchess Falia, and you too Sir Rene, I think there will be no more trouble this evening," Lithyll said though his tone was more hopeful than certain to Rene's ears. Andalyll was speaking to the crestfallen young Kalderi in low hushed tones.

"What is all that about? Saying he had no voice I mean?" Rene asked. Lithyll glanced at his counterpart.

"As your representative I knew it was not your wish to fight a challenge so I seized the first chance I had to head it off," Lithyll told them. That wasn't precisely what Rene had meant but he supposed he would follow the Kalderi's logic rather than his own.

"And what about Andalyll, isn't he supposed to be our adversary?" Rene queried.

"The word is an imperfect translation Sir Rene, though he would have insisted on Totlya's rights if he himself had not faltered," Lithyll explained. Rene nodded.

"But he took the first excuse he could too," Rene pressed, wanting to understand what had just happened. Lithyll gave him a strange smile.

"Likely he feared you would kill or maim him Sir Rene, we have seen Marines in action on your news holograms. Totlya is hurting but he is no warrior and would have been of little match for you. In his grief though he could have forced you to kill or seriously injure him."

"So Andalyll wanted to prevent unnecessary bloodshed?" Rene asked, thinking that he began to see the pattern in Kalderi actions. Lithyll chuckled.

"All Kalderi wish to prevent unnecessary bloodshed Sir Rene, but Totlya is Andalyll's sister's offspring. Such relationships are not as close among our people as they are among yours, but he would have been more grieved than most to see the boy hurt."

"Duchess Falia," Andayall broke in, leading Totlya to her. The boy looked agitated but resigned, which Rene took to be a good sign.

"Totlya accepts your offer to investigate this wrong doing and would speak with you," he told the beautiful aristocrat. The Kalderi gave his younger kinsmen a stern look.

"He speaks with the Voice of the Wronged, but NOT with the Voice of the Challenger," Andalyll admonished.

[Syrenrei]

"I understand," Solae said with an unfaltering smile. It was for the best that she was the first aristocrat to venture into Kalderi territory and receive a formal audience. Another noblewoman, even if she was a diplomat, would have been much more slighted by the challenge, as it would have been easy to be insulted by the gesture. Though the Syshin had been the ones to be overtly disgusted by the way a claim was made upon a female as if she had no agency, a possession or accessory to be won with combat alone, many humans would as well. Personally appointed to one of the highest positions within her society, individually recognized and rewarded for her skill and loyalty by the empress herself, she would have had no shortage of suitors at the court eager to be her accessory rather than presuming the other way around. The duchess did not speak of it, but she knew that Rene recognized the same thing, that another couple would have slain this youth where he stood without a second thought.

"There are many differences between our people, but I would like to believe when it comes to matters of the heart, we may not be so dissimilar. I would be very upset if someone took Rene from me, and he would be upset if I was taken from him," she added softly, somewhat amused at the notion that Rene could be stolen from her. She was not an inherently jealous woman, and trusted her fiance with her life, but she would have been absolutely enraged if another made a serious pass at her soldier, much less tried to spirit him away to an unknown destination. Few things truly incited her ire, and they were almost exclusively moral and ethical crimes, but her beloved was the exception to the rule.

"Sir Lithyll, Sir Andalyll, and Sir Totlya, would it be acceptable if we discussed this matter tomorrow?" Solae proposed. "I sincerely want to help, but I want to have my maps, my computer's AI, and no distractions so I can give myself wholly to your story of how you've been wronged. If your mate was taken from you, Totlya, myself and my companions will follow whatever trail they left, and help bring you a resolution." What went unspoken was that she thought a night's rest and different atmosphere might make the younger Kalderi's spirits lift. Right now he had been broken by shame and frustration, with dozens of witnesses, but if they had a private conversation after the ball he would be able to compose himself better. The most experienced and seasoned courtiers delayed meetings regularly if there was a tangible benefit. In this case, she thought that if Totlya had time to consider and appreciate what they were willing to do for him, as well as cool his temper, he might be more forthcoming and cooperative.

"Of course, Duchess Solae," Lithyll calmly intoned with a reverent incline of his head. It would be his home that would function as a gathering place due to its proximity, as well as the fact he was their host.

Rosaria, for her part, was still pouting that there wasn't going to be a duel. She was not so callous as to want there to be death, but she found the banter incredibly boring, even when they were discussing chasing down a woman that had been purportedly abducted. For her this was not such an egregious crime; if she acknowledged that it was, she might have to deal with unresolved feelings she had about those that her previous mistress had obtained via force, or that she was not absolutely certain as to whether she was sold, or procured by more unscrupulous methods by Thorne. No one except Thorne knew with certainty. Lies came so easily to her technology could discern the truth from the fabrications that dropped from her lips.

Finally Yarue and Dasin had made their way around the crowd and arrived behind the engaged pair. The Kalderi had parted for them, but they kept staring at the curious aliens, more fascinated with the sight of them than they were with the humans. The two pretended not to notice the subtle gazes and stolen glances, still uncomfortable with the attention. "Does Miss Solae always feel... compelled to help others?" Dasin asked very seriously in a low rumbling whisper to Rene.

"She went out of her way to help us," Rosaria observed with crossed arms, keeping her voice low as well, so that the Syshin could hear her when they bent in close but the Kalderi, who were a respectful few feet away, would not. "It's like she a pathological need to be nice. I didn't think people like her existed after Thorne..." she murmured.

Yarue bobbed his head in agreement. They had not, during their time on the Bonaventure, candidly talked about how all three of them had been prisoners of Thorne in one way or another. Both Syshin had been as skeptical of Rosaria as they were of their benevolent human benefactors, but they had quietly noticed that Rosaria acted at times like a wounded animal, as if she was waiting were waiting for someone to lash out or act cruelly. Their experiences on Zatis were wildly divergent from the time they arrived into Thorne's care, but they were all victims of her psychopathic depravity, and what that could do when one was subjected to it for years with no end in sight.

"What is... path of logical?" Dasin inquired, the word beyond his comprehension. "Does she walk in logic?" He and Yarue peered at Rosaria expectantly while the teenager stared back at them, baffled, having briefly forgotten about their language barrier.

[Penny]

Rene smiled as Rosaria attempted to convey the meaning of the word to the Syshin. Solae was, and Rene didn't even pretend not to be biased, pathologically nice, unfailingly generous and in general everything that a noble of the Stellar Empire ought to be. She wasn't soft, no one who had been through what she had endured and survived could be called that, but neither was she afraid to be merciful when the situation required it. In theory all nobles of the Stellar Empire ought to behave that way, noblesse oblige and all that, though in practice that wasn't the case. In the Imperial Court Rene had rarely seen his fellow nobles live up to such high ideals, they were often rapacious, or decadent or both with rare exceptions, like his father and his circle, who were hard bitten campaigners, committed to the ideal of duty in the abstract. Though her dazzling beauty would certainly compete with any Handmaiden, Rene found he was glad that Solae was out here among the people where she could do the most good, certainly that would bring her the most happiness.

The music, which had died away during Toltya's abortive challenge swelled back to its previous volume and the Kalderi couples began to take their place to dance. Rene turned and bowed formally to Solae.

"Duchess, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" Solae smiled and gratiously extended her hand. Rene took it and pressed his lips to the back of her palm before leading her out on the floor. Kalderi dance had little in common with the modes that were in fashion in Imperial society, having far more to do with group interaction than individualized performance. Solae and her party had spent a portion of the afternoon undergoing instruction, something which Rene and Solae, having been trained in the stately dances of the Cappelan Court, picked up quickly. Rosaria and the Syshin had a tougher time of it, though several young Kalderi males were already making a bee-line for the girl, who looked equal parts terrified and excited. The fact that all of Solae's party lacked wings made the dances even more challenging, but they had devised adaptions of their own to deal with the problem. Rene lay a hand on Solae's waist and the other on her shoulder, raising his elbow high, she mirrored the motion so that between the two of them they gave the impression of a single pair of wings.

"Thank you," he told her as they began the intricate steps of the dance, arcing in slow intersecting circles with the Kalderi couples.

"I'm certain that, whatever his grievance, he wouldn't have been willing to end a duel short of being maimed or killed."

[Syrenrei]

"It's not every day a woman has the opportunity to terrify a would-be suitor by explaining the complications and difficulties of being her significant other," Solae jested, though it was a more serious criticism of herself than she was willing to discuss during the ball. A few times Rene had expression concern over what she may have to endure as his fiancee and, hopefully, future wife. While she did concede that it would not be easy to overcome the false murder charge, when nearly everyone considered him guilty, being the spouse of a duchess would have its unique tribulations. Even after marriage he would be her 'lesser' as she was the one gifted the title by the empress, she would wield great power outside their relationship, and would invite more attention than either of them was truly accustomed to one they returned to the courts. As someone so high-ranking, and of an elite few, there would be those that sought her attention and favor, to solve their problems, to be their voice to the empress. As the daughter of the marquise she had not been under so much pressure. Now that she was elevated, she worried both for herself and anyone who might be cause in the proverbial crossfire by proximity.

From across the room she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Rosaria finally relent and allow a young Kalderi to escort her onto the dance floor. She seemed less than thrilled but had likely deduced that she couldn't decline every offer; practically speaking, it was easier to accept one that she minimally preferred, and then use him as an excuse as to why she could not entertain the rest. For all her faults, such as being somewhat petulant and selfish, she was a very perceptive young woman. The diplomat sincerely hoped they had rescued her before she had become so corrupted that she had no hope of leading a fulfilling life, whatever it was. They had floated the idea of Rosaria as her successor, but Solae was not certain that it would serve the youth, as something about her disposition told the linguist she may not particularly enjoy the limelight once it was shone upon her.

Leaning forward, she lowered her voice to a hush, more to convey a sense of playful secrecy than an effort for privacy. "Truthfully, my plan was just to ask you to dance before we got ambushed by anyone. I figured it would be so culturally awkward that no one would know what to do. What would they do, challenge me... for me? Since we're human we could have probably gotten away with it were we not thwarted by Totlya." It was a clever plan. Kalderi traditions were steeped in traditional roles, most customs not defined by sex, but the 'mating ritual' infused with dancing did adhere to certain norms. All around them it was the men that asked the women (or what they assumed to be) for their hand. Foreigners naturally had more leniency in adhering to expectations. Solae would have had just enough latitude to snag Rene for a few waltzes had she not been foiled by her own propensity for idle banter.

"What do you think of what he said?" she pressed, eyebrows knitted together in thought. "It seems strange to me that a merchant would abduct a Kalderi. If he was a slave trader he wouldn't have only taken one," she whispered slowly, "and it was a huge risk to take. Either he knew that Kalderi would be reluctant to pursue him, which suggests he knows a great deal about them, or he was taking a gamble in hoping they didn't chase him down. Most of the empire is under the impression they have superior technology and weapons, and they have historically used both to avenge wrongs. It's all... odd. Not only that, even on the outer fringes of settled worlds, this would be a hard thing to keep quiet. A captive Kalderi would be too hot of gossip not to spread far and wide. Everyone loves a good scandal," the aristocrat wryly noted. Generally bad news related to crimes or morally questionable acts traveled with lightning speed.

Dasin and Yarue had meanwhile retreated back towards the exterior of the room, trying to avoid the crowd to the best of their ability, skeptical about the underwater 'building.' Despite all their reservations, they were completely fascinated by the fish that swam by peacefully, drawn to the lights created by the colorful setting. A few straggler Kalderi doggedly approached, coaxing them into conversation, but they were almost comically stiff. Between the broken common language both races spoke, as well as the two Syshin's lack of socialization for many years, Solae almost felt guilty for not saving them. Conversation wouldn't do them any harm, but she was empathetic to a fault, and hated to see them struggle, however necessary the process might be.

[Penny]

Rene smiled at Solae as they stepped through the gracefully movements of the dance. Alien both in their biology and aesthetics, Kalderi music was none the less intelligible to the human ear. Like mathematics the rules of tone and tempo were a universal rather than a cultural peculiarity and though odd and exotic still organised themselves into recognizable patterns. With the stress of possible challenges lifted from his shoulders Rene found he was rather enjoying himself. There were far worse ways to spend time than dancing with the woman you loved afterall. The circled the ballroom in graceful arcs, intersecting with Kalderi couples as the music dictated before sweeping onward.

"There is obviously a good deal more to it that Totlya is admitting, maybe even to himself. I'm not a diplomat but I feel like if his case were as cut and dry as he presented it, he wouldn't have had to seize on a challenge to bring it up. The other Kalderi seemed all but covering their faces in embarrassment..." There was brief pause in conversation as Rene slid his arm around Solae's waist and dipped her dramatically to the ground. In the Kalderi equivalent the female's wings brushed the ground but the human's settled for allowing their hair to touch. Out of the corner of his eye Rene saw Rosaria's partner nearly drop her as he didn't realize she lacked wings until it was nearly too late. Rene straightened and lifted Solae back to her original stance, enjoying the soft curve of her hips underneath his hand as he did so.

"I can't imagine the Kalderi would have let a full on kidnapping go unanswered, such a thing would have galvanized the community instantly, so at the very least there is dissent about whatever happened," Rene mused. The music slowed and some of the Kalderi and, Rene noted, Rosaria selected new partners, he didn't let go of Solae to give anyone a chance to take her, though he did see more than a few glances. The music shifted to another graceful air and they began the new dance.

"For that matter, I suspect the local traders would have taken steps if it came to that, its obvious that the market is more valuable to humans than it is to Kalderi, and they aren't going to risk it getting shut down for bad behavior. Maybe we can ask around there after we talk to Toltya." If nothing else Rene was intrigued to see how humanity and the Kalderi intersected here on Ranal Pindi, he dared to hope that one day, when Tan was defeated and peace was restored, that the Eastern Cross under Solae's leadership would have far more to do with their enigmatic neighbors than had previously been the case. What wonders the Kalderi might share, and what wonders lay beyond their borders were to tantalizing to let ancient fears and xenophobia bury them. Not for the first time Rene wondered what was happening back on Capella and if Imperial forces had yet made any attempt to reach the Eastern Cross. For the Empress to be taking shelter with Rene's father, for the Empress to leave the Crystal City for any reason, argued that things were extremely unsettled there. Tan was also not an idiot and couldn't imagine that he could face down the Stellar Empire single handed, that meant he had confederates in other parts of the Empire, probably partisans of Mercedez' late and unlamented father who were less than pleased to see the gains that had made being eroded by a young and energetic Empress. Mentally he could compile a list of such people, gleaned from listening at many of his father's dinners and hunting parties, but without access to information from the wider universe it was pointless to speculate. He thought of those rapacious and dissolute fools and contrasted them with the honest kindness and concern for others that Solae displated.

"I am very proud of you my love," Rene whispered to Solae as he held her close in the intimate steps of the dance, fingers gently stroking her hair.

"I am lucky to have you."

[Syrenrei]

"Proud of me for scaring off a young man that had not idea what claiming me would mean for his future?" she asked, though she knew that was not what he was suggesting. Rene was trying to console her, to make her feel better about the situation, and she couldn't help but ponder the fact that any other woman in the universe would have been walking on air (figuratively unless they were a Kalderi) to be personally appointed to such a station. Still, the concern that she was unworthy lingered in the back of her mind, as well as doubts about whether or not she was a positive influence on the others around her. Many dukes and duchesses throughout history merely assumed that everyone was fortunate to be in their presence, to be part of their entourage, or to be related, whether it be by blood, marriage, friendship, or business arrangements, but that did mean their assessment was accurate. The empress's father had made numerous missteps, but his paranoia was not wholly unfounded, as there were nobles that had become so arrogant, so entitled, and so self-absorbed that they were an active hindrance to society. While she could concede she was perhaps too preoccupied about how she may be stifling or harming her companions, worrying in of itself was a sign that she was empathetic, and that her heart had not hardened with power as it did with others.

"It seems everywhere we go there is more than it appears on the surface," she sighed, leaning her head briefly against his shoulder, not at all bothered with whether or not it was an appropriate gesture to insert into the Kadleri dance. While she was a diplomat attache on the world representing humanity, she was also a woman, one who could grow tired, or need physical affirmation, or need space to regain her strength. "Peace has reigned here because the traders fear upsetting their benefactors or inciting another retaliation for a perceived wrong. I suspect you are correct in that there is more afoot here, but if merchants falsely believe that the Kalderi have grown weak or become pacifists, then the smallest opening could encourage Tan and his rebels to try to conquer this planet like the others they already occupy. Not only must we bring this to a satisfactory resolution, we must be cautious to preserve this fear of our new acquaintances, if for no other reason than to make certain there's no aggression towards them until they're truly prepared to lower the veil, so to speak."

Exhaling softly, she tried to drown out the murmuring voices and the other attendees, focusing on the music itself, the decorative room, the sensation of gliding across the polished stone floor. "We need a vacation," she laughed lightly, "and to be clear, being stranded on the Bonaventure for periods of time does not count. I want to visit somewhere and just enjoy it for what it is, relax, not be a title or a position, just myself. Can you imagine what the rest would do? Rosaria would love it, but Dasin and Yarue probably wouldn't know what to do with themselves. Since New Concordia, we've been traveling by necessity, racing to the next goal, trying to stop a ruthless coup. I'm not saying now is the right time, but... I miss having leisure, don't you? Before the Marines you must have gone somewhere just to enjoy yourself."

Her parents had always been, for lack of a better word, on the bizarre end of the spectrum of "eccentric." Both were well-spoken, confident, and mentally sharp, and could have done well on Capella had they any inclination to navigate political circles. According to rumor, her mother could "play men like a fiddle" and her father could "strike fear into the heart of the most composed man," though they had not been that way with their daughter. Instead they had happily retreated to a distant planet, become purposefully reclusive, and basked in more privacy than many marquises could imagine. They had peculiar hobbies and interests, allegedly, of which she was willfully ignorant, and did not travel terribly often. When they did, it was not a 'family trip.' There were only a few instances of the three of them attending functions together, and they were formal engagements, not for pleasure. She didn't want to tell Rene of her lack of experience; she did not want to invite his pity or think she was desperate when her childhood was better than most.

"Since we've already see beaches during a horrible typhoon, I want to go somewhere with mountains so I can go hiking and see a waterfall, or go through an even more exotic biome like a terra-formed rain forest," she mused, the latter of which was a coveted destination for the affluent. With deep enough pockets, a duke or duchess need not limit themselves to a zoo, and instead could tour a carefully tended forest where devoted scientists kept the vegetation lush, expert zoologists kept the animals healthy, and technological advancements prevented guests from worrying about bug bites, sun burn, scratches, or being mauled by violent predators. "Where would you go if the empress herself granted us a honeymoon, anywhere we wanted?"

[Penny]

"Hrmmm," Rene pondered as they moved through the intricate steps of another dance, each placing their palms a few milimeters appart without actually touching while making an elaborate series of graceful turns. It was bemusing to think of so domestic a concern as vacation plans. To Rene's surprise he found it was a topic he had never given much thought.

"You would love the Summer House on Capella," he told her, thinking of the northern mountains in which the Du Quentain's maintained their ancestral seat. Capella had many large urban centers, mostly strung like beads around the Crystal City which served as the palace of the Empress and the effective capital of the Stellar Empire. By ancient decree, no settlement could occur that could be seen from the top of the Diamond Spire, the tallest point in the imperial city. The edict created a wide belt of carefully tended woodland that was more like a garden than a forest in which citizens could theoretically wander and gaze at the Crystal City from outside its walls, the closest a normal citizen of the Stellar Empire could hope to get to the Emperess. Beyond the horizon were cities which housed the countless offices, dwellings, data storage facilities, starports, bars, markets and other structures required to support the millions of administrators who labored to keep an Empire of thousands of worlds running.

The noble houses of Cappella no longer depended on their fiefs for their power base, having shifted to orbital shipyards and off world possessions centuries ago, but there was prestige in maintaining a seat, and profit in some cases, especially in the rich agrarian centers on the west coast of the principle continent. Here peasant farmers worked the land on vast estates, some of which would have been considered small countries in a previous epoch. Rene's family held its lands in the rugged mountains of the northern continent far from the capital. Thousands of hectares of alpine crags, interspaced with fertile valley clad with Terran Pines and Capella Ka trees with their dark bark marbled with bright metallic pigments. The Du Quentain's had always based their power in Imperial service rather than on the wealth of their lands, even so many valleys maintained thriving communities which produced a surplus of food, wine and other small goods. Most of the space though was undeveloped wilderness, remote crags that mounted to the crown of Capella's northern arctic tundra to the north, and shallow hills which sank to the azure waters of the straits of Tindalos.

As a boy Rene, mostly in the company of his families Master of Arms who had instructed the boy on the arts of hunting and woodcraft as well as more martial subjects. Latter he had taken to trekking alone, exploring and spending days in solitude. The Summer House itself was a small palace, located in a remote and sheer valley high up the in the mountains. The building crowned an impressive array of terraced gardens witch spread almost a kilometre down the side of the valley wall to the river valley below. The name, The Summer House, denoted its ancient origins as a seasonal lodge, something which successive generations of Du Quentain's had added to until it reached its current level. As affairs of court kept the family busy much of the time, its occupation was none the less seasonal, although servant and armsmen lived their year round. Rene had fond memories of watching vast blizzards roll down the valley like a wall of on rushing ice during mid winter. He wondered what Solae would think of it, in the unlikely event they were ever able to visit.

"You know it is strange," he mused as they danced on, the rythym having grown slow and intimate as the dance changed. It seemed to Rene that Kalderi music had a story, even if there were no words, a progression from the frantic excitement of a meeting to the slow contentment of fulfilled desires.

"I had never been of Capella until.. until everything happened," he explained. It was likely that if he had followed the path that had been laid out for him and taken a position in the Imperial Guard, he might never have left Capella save for the Empress few of planet excursions.

"I cannot say I would recommend Kestra," he went on with a grim smile. The planet of Kestra IV, usually just referred to as Kestra served as the main training base for Imperial Marine recruits. The planets severe and unsteady axial tilt made it all but uninhabitable, with scorching summers, freezing winters and what amounted to monsoon rain most of the rest of the time. Terra forming wasn't an ideal process and in some cases the natural barriers proved too much for human technology to overcome. Recruit's sweated in summer, froze in winter and were up to their elbows in mud or dust much of the rest of the time. Everywhere else he had been had been transfer orders, little more than starport districts if they were allowed to disembark from the troop transports at all.

"My mother traveled quite a bit before she met my father," Rene continued, placing a hand around Solae's hips to pull her close to him as they swept along the watery walls of the dance hall. The Kalderi passing lifted the tips of their wings to brush the shimmering walls, drawing bright highlights across the surface and attracting darting fish to the disturbances. The humans opted not to copy this techqniue, there were limits to how much they could imitate the aliens, and soaking their formalware was not a price they were willing to pay for what seemed an idle enjoyment rather than an intrinsic part of the culture. Rene's mother had died from complications during child birth but years later he had read journals which she had kept. Disappointingly they said little of her life after her marriage to Alric, his father, but in her younger years she had traveled widely.

"There is a world called Eleni out spinward of Capella near the Gulf of Chalcedon, humans attempted to terraform it during the first wave of expansion and then gave up when they encountered setback," he explained. Most first expansion worlds had been barely habitable even with successful terraforming and many had been reworked centuries later when technology had improved.

"When it was rediscovered after the collapse, the biomes had hybridized with the local life, mostly types of phosphorescent algae analogies. When it was rediscovered after the collapse, they found that Terran life there had eventually gotten started, but it had spliced itself into the local environment. There is breathable air and temperate climate but the slow rotation means the nights there are weeks long. At sunset you are in a rain forest and as the lights fade the chloroplasts in the leaves begin to luminescence. Some of the animals too, as a camouflage strategy," Rene trailed off, realizing he had been drifting into a reverie of his child hood reading.

"Anyway, I have always wanted to visit it. Apparently access is pretty tightly controlled," he told Solae. Hybrid biomes were exceedingly rare and were a perpetual source of fascination and study by scientist seeking to understand how the remarkable results could be duplicated. Rene grinned and leaned close to Solae to whisper in her ear.

"Luckily I know a Duchess who might be able to put in a good word for us."

[Syrenrei]

"Not even married to me and you're already thinking of ways to leverage my new status," Solae teasingly chastised. As a duchess it would be difficult, if not impossible, for most of imperial society to decline her requests. It was why there was a limited number of their rank within the aristocracy and also why the coup of Duke Alexis Tan had the hope of success. She had been born and groomed for being a marquise, but she had not expected to inherit for many years, yet it was abruptly thrust upon her with her parents' deaths. Though she thought she had handled herself with the dignity, poise, and composure of a marquise, she was more than a little uncomfortable with the circumstances that had led to her succession and the change itself. By comparison, her appointment to a duchess was utterly staggering, and the power she now wielded felt almost vulgar. Of course this was almost certainly one of the reasons the empress had rewarded her for her loyalty, but she struggled to fathom how famous she would be throughout worlds she had never visited, or how many people would capitulate to her whims merely to be in her good graces.

Visiting a hybridized planet to help fulfill a dream did not constitute, by the most liberal of guidelines, an abuse of power. Solae was all too glad to accommodate such a benign wish; though, if she was honest, Rene was unique in being the only person in existence she would willingly abuse her power for. "Well you're mad if you think I'm going to limit ourselves to only one of the places your mother traveled to. I can't bring her back, but we can re-trace her steps, see all the sights she did before she met your father. I'm sure it will take some time with all my- our- other obligations, but assuming we make it out of this war, I don't see any reason we wouldn't have ample opportunity." Nobility had long-lived lives generally. Wealth and prestige brought them access to the best technology that humanity had to offer, so while settlers on fringe worlds would perish from old age and the diseases brought on by becoming more physically frail, the aristocracy was able to remain younger longer, and lived past one hundred unless there were underlying incurable issues.

Suddenly she realized some of the less thrilling consequences of becoming the duchess of the Eastern Cross, inheriting the self-styled emperor's portfolio. "There will be so much bureaucratic red tape when we get back," she groaned softly so the Kalderi wouldn't overhear and think that she was complaining about their ball. "I'll have to survey all his holdings, petition the courts as to what Falia holdings I'd like to keep, and negotiate for what will probably be decades," she frowned. Because Duke Tan had never been one of her suitors, neither she nor her parents had been particularly interested in any of his assets on New Concordia. What other residences, businesses, and lands he had were at least partially public knowledge, but there had been no need to research such things- not that it would have helped. Every member of the upper class hid from others the truth of their prosperity or lack thereof, whether it be they were on the edge of bankruptcy and most of their homes were vacant, devoid of servants or furniture, or if they had vaults full of priceless artifacts and contraband. Until she went to each and every domicile, office, and operating under his name to investigate thoroughly (or paid someone to do so on her behalf), she wouldn't know what had become hers. It felt callous to take his things, but what he had not lost when he was stripped of his dukedom, he forfeited with his treason, and no heir would be allowed to profit from his crimes.

The Falia lineage had holdings of their own, some that had been bought in the most mundane of ways, but others that were a reflection if being a marquise. The marquise-specific holdings were on planets that were now or had once been at the edges of the empire. Much like in countries long past on Earth, a marquise was tasked with the defense of invisible borders, faithful to their liege, and entrusted with less desirable holdings than a duke, but more important than a count. For the Falias this meant a significant estate on Yesion, lush and forested, but with wildlife that made it exceedingly difficult to tame, and which was only half-colonized, on Rucehiri, whose terra-forming had completed only a couple centuries ago, and who was currently under construction to be another duplicate of Earth (for which there were many), on Xulrapus, a desert world whose geography reminded her of an endless wild west, and others.

Merging what had been Tan's, assuming he was ousted, exiled, and/or executed, and the Falia's would not be practically possible. The Stellar Empire was cautious about letting any one family consolidate holdings under their name. Understandably, it was usually through marriage that this became a concern. When a man and woman were joined, there was a decision made as to which lineage they would become united under. Politically it was a binding joining, but under the law either the husband or wife were cleaved from their birthright. Peasants might falsely believe this was because they did not want anyone to control too substantial a part of the economy, but the true reason was that no one could be seen as coming too close to challenging the emperor or empress. If every time a duke or duchess wed they joined together their holdings, becoming larger with each generation, it would threaten the stability of the sovereignty.

As Duchess Solae Falia, formerly Marquise Solae Falia, she would need to choose what Falia holdings were of importance to her as well and bestow the rest on someone else. There was Damaris of Panopontus but also her cousins, the latter of which would be more prepared to immediately take over the duties of becoming a marquise. She still remembered her promise to Damaris, but she wanted to give the girl the financial backing to be what she wanted to and on her terms, much like Rosaria. If Damaris were to become a marquise she would be thrown into the proverbial deep end of the pool and Solae, who would be quite busy with all the work she had already undertaken, would not be of as much assistance as she had initially anticipated when the offer was made. The legal arm of the empire could also potentially object to a young daughter of laborers being bequeathed something she would not be entitled to even if Solae had adopted her (as any of her children would only be entitled to the duchy holdings).

Her mind then whirled to the topic of children. She and Rene had not discussed the subject more than making brief allusions in passing. His sterility meant there was nothing that could be done about it in the present, but it would be something that would come up sooner rather than later unless they were victims of Duke Tan's ambitions. Happy as she was with the prospect of bringing Damaris and Rosaria into her family, she could not deny that she wanted more, that she wanted to know the joy of pregnancy, of creating a manifestation of the love she felt for her soldier. She was somewhat apathetic about achieving immortality for herself through procreation, but she wanted a piece of Rene to persist, for his kindness, his virtue, and strength to not be lost to cosmic dust when they were nothing more than names transcribed down in historical recollection.

"What do you think, should we give your dancing shoes a rest and find a way to make a dignified exit?" she asked after she had been twirled and dipped again. The dance was as lovely as she had thought it would be, but the point of the evening had been to find a way to appeal to the Kalderi, which they had done. They could talk more with the aliens that had not been paired off to perform the waltz, but she somewhat fancied a little time with her beau, especially since he did not care about the pomp as she did. "I wonder if Lithyll has a villa for us to retreat to and refresh ourselves," she added with a wink.

[Penny]

For people who were fugitives from the most powerful man in the sector things could have been a great deal worse. Rene contemplated the strange turn of events that had lead them to this place as he felt Solae’s naked body stir beside him. The morning light was already streaming through the bedroom window to reveal their hastily shucked clothing where it had been tossed in their rush to disrobe. Rene supposed that given it was the only uniform he had he ought to have been more carefully but in the heat of passion, that had not seemed like much of a priority. The sunlight was reassuring beyond the normal promise of dawn. The Kalderi might enjoy the spectacle of a ball under the sea but in the back of their minds the humans had been conscious of the countless tons of water above them, suspended by alien technology that at any moment might fail and crush or drown them. It was inconsistent of course, humans regularly traveled the stars in metal boxes which separated them from a far more violent death than drowning with only a few millimeters of steel to protect them from explosive decompression, but no one had ever said humans were consistent. A soft chime sounded and Solae stirred against him.

“Mmm?” she asked musily, her eyes flickering open.

“Lithyll has arrived and is requesting your presence for breakfast,” Mia’s sultry voice informed them. There was a mild edge of irritation in the synthesized voice, as there often was whenever events conspired to interrupt time that Solae and her beau might spend alone.

“Right,” Rene responded, a trifle wearily. As a soldier he had no expectation of rest while there was a war on, but he did wish that Solae might be given some respite from the constant stress of diplomatic duties. She didn’t complain of course, but he knew that the burden the Empress had laid upon her was a heavy one. He lifted her chin to his and gave her a lingering kiss.

“What was that for?” he asked. Rene smiled down at her.

“It is morning, and we are together.”

Dressed in informal clothing from the wardrobe provided by Ten they joined Lithyll on an outdoor terrace that overlooked the ocean far below. Servant, unseen by the slumbering couple had laid cool tea and sliced fruit as well as other less identifiable foods. Rene was confident that, as well informed about humanity as they were, the Kalderi would not serve anything immediately lethal to humans. Kalderi cuisine seemed to have a definite bias towards fruit and vegetables and lacked meat as humans would think of it, though there were several pastes that might have been animal derived but might, just as easily, have been seaweed or legumes before processing. Overall Rene found it more palatable than much of what he had eaten since he had fallen from grace. He did wish there was caffeine, as he and Solae had found activities other than sleep to occupy them long into the night, and even with his genetically enhanced metabolism he felt lethargic. Instead he sipped the tart fruit juice that had been provided while Lithyll briefed them on the upcoming interview.

“Andalyll will escort Totlya to speak with you,” Lithyll explained in her usual serene voice as she toyed with some candied seeds in a bowl of delicate porcelain.

“He speaks with the Voice of the Wronged,” the alien explained. Rene exchanged a glance with Solae before responding.

“Andalyll mentioned the voice of the wronged last night,” Rene observed, “but I’m not sure exactly what that means among your people.” Given Solae’s position as ambassador, it was more political for him to profess ignorance than her, though Rene had noticed that Solae seldom let such political calculation get in the way of obtaining the information she needed. Lithyll blinked both sets of eyelids for a moment before seeming to realise the problem.

“Ah, yes, when a member of the community is ‘Wronged’ it means he has been significantly wronged in a way that the normal process of consensus justice cannot provide a resolution,” she explained.

“Kalderi value consensus very much, far more so than humans who can persist indefinitely in states of disagreement. Unfortunately some situations do arise where the wrong is either so egregious, or so complicated that we cannot agree on how to address it but we all agree that a wrong has been done. In such a situation a Kalderi assumes the Voice of the Wronged until the complaint is resolved.”

Rene pondered that for a long moment though he couldn’t exactly find a human analogue for the situation. In human society it could be acknowledge that an injustice had been done to someone even if it wasn’t technically illegal, but beyond the support and sympathy of an immediate circle, there was no formalized community response.

“And what does the Voice of the Wronged allow a Kalderi to do?” he pressed.

“Primarily he or she is able to seek help and redress from outside the community, such an action is unpleasant for all concerned,” Lithyll explained.

“I see, and how often does this happen?” Rene asked, trying his best to wrap his mind around the alien concepts involved.

“Rarely,” Lithyll admitted, “few problems cannot be solved by the community, and those that do tend to involve outsiders.” Lithyll drooped her wings, which Rene had learned was a placating gesture, something along the lines of ‘I mean no offense’.
“And what happens if we can’t solve the problem?” Rene asked, filling a slight premonition of danger as the words left his lips.

“Totlya will be free to seek justice from other outsiders,” Lithyll admitted. Rene pursed his lips.

“Such as the warships in orbit?” he asked, imagining what effect it might have if Kalderi warships entered human space to recover Totlya’s mate by force. Such an incursion could serve as a rallying point to bring the entire sector behind Duke Tan, or worse yet provoke a disastrous conflict between humanity and the Kalderi.

“Exactly, or he could travel to the Homeworlds and seek aid from there,” Lithyll agreed. It was easy enough to imagine the previous such appeal which had brought the Jeweled Armarda to deal with the upstart human interlopers.

“Well, I suppose we must be sure not to disappoint,” Rene observed dryly.

[Syrenrei]

"Which is it?" Solae asked after a moment of reflection. "Is the wrong so egregious or is it so complicated that you can not come to a resolution? I understand that there is a need for assistance," the duchess reassured. She was not trying to place her Kalderi host on the proverbial spot, instead merely seeking greater clarity on exactly what type of situation they had volunteered to help resolve. If there was a particularly egregious crime committed they would have a vastly different approach than if this was an issue of cultural dissonance. Truth be told she highly suspected it was the latter of these possible scenarios was hoping for confirmation of the same before her assumptions started to hamstring her mentally. They had already dealt with enough cruel examples of humanity to last a lifetime- something with shades of grey would be a welcome change of pace.

Lithyll paused, as if considering whether or not it would be more rude to respond or decline to comment, but after a moment she exhaled through her nostrils in something akin to a sigh. "There is no consensus on what transpired," the alien confessed with reluctance, "and so a consensus can not be reached on what we should do. Our community considers the matter complicated, but we can not deny there be an egregious wrong as well."

It was a diplomatic answer as she expected it would be, but it did offer insight into the nature of the conflict. This was not a cut and dry case of abduction. Why a human would spirit away a Kalderi was a perplexing mystery, especially since news of this transgression had not traveled to anywhere they had been. Given a choice between this world of harmony, of technological superiority, and wonder, she would have chosen to stay rather than 'escape' to a colonized world of the empire, with the exception of some of the jewels of their civilization. One could surmise the human man was not welcome to dwell here or he needed to take a Kalderi with him elsewhere for his own means.

Biting the inside of her cheek thoughtfully she ruminated on the feelings of the missing Kalderi. Last night's attendees had been, by all appearances, content with their position in society as well as their lives in general, happy to exchange polite conversation about their accomplishments or interests. It was possible the Kalderi female was the catalyst for leaving Ranal Pindi rather than the merchant, petitioning him for safe voyage or sanctuary. Utopia was an unattainable ideal. Tempting as it was to believe it had been achieved, she knew that beneath the lustrous gleam of first contact there was grime, that not everyone could be pleased in tandem. Lithyll had shown them the best their species had to offer just as she had shown him the best hers had to offer. If a Kalderi frequently found themselves at odds with the consensus, or trivialized for the sake of the majority, they might seek lands where their individually was emphasized to a larger degree. This theory would be shared later with her consort if only to verbalize remind herself that perfection was a goal that was by definition elusive. The sooner she absorbed that she was not visiting paradise the better it would be for all involved.

"What will happen if we help resolve the matter?" Solae inquired, sipping at her drink. The table spread was incredibly healthy. She found the food to be tasty, yet she missed the decadence of Ten's feasts, which had prime cuts of meat expertly cooked, imported alcohol of the finest vintage, exotic desserts, and stimulants to help them energize in the morning. Her head pounded from the lack of sleep and sheer willpower kept her from finding a flimsy excuse to return to bed. "Will we be considered to have a voice?"

"It is very rare for an outsider to assist a Kalderi community," Lithyll prefaced, gently reminding that this was an irregularity of the highest order. "There is no word for it in your language, but you would be honored and respected, not as a voice in our community but as a... " she struggled briefly for a way to explain the concept. "There would be a measure of... influence. You would be seen as the voice of another community that is like a friend or an ally, who we must consider in our decisions, and could not ignore." This was an oversimplification of the nuanced status they would hold, but it was the best way to express it in a way they might comprehend. Just as there were cultural expressions and concepts unique to humanity, so were there to Kalderi.

"May I ask another favor of you?" Solae asked as she finished her plate and nursed the remnants of her beverage. Her long blonde hair had been pulled back and twisted into an elaborate up-do secured by decorative sticks. Many members of nobility relied upon a retinue of attendants to manage their aesthetics, but she had grown her locks so long it wasn't practical to wait for someone to help her wash, brush, and style each dawn. She had very generously proposed plaiting Rene's hair into tiny braids, but as amused as he was, he had declined. It was just as well. The stoicism of Yarue and Dasin would not have outlasted such a ridiculous sight. "You mentioned that the Kalderi language was outside our vocal capabilities?"

Lithyll nodded, drooping her wings characteristically, as if to apologize for having to gently allude to the physical limitations of her guests. "That is correct. The chords in your neck are different from ours," she stated serenely, patient but curious where this line of questioning was leading.

"If you are agreeable, would it be possible for me to study your language, so that I could understand it? I may not ever be able to speak it, but it may prove easier if in the future I interact with those less eloquent than yourself. Totlya, for example, might be more comfortable if he could speak Kalderi to me and know I understand," she suggested. It was a matter of when she would ask rather than if she would ask to her friends; her love of linguistics ran so deep that she could not be satisfied until she pleaded with them for the opportunity. The average diplomat was friendly and congenial, finding it rewarding to negotiate and network, with linguistics as a necessary skill to develop and nothing more. By contrast, she was more well-rounded, equally thrilled by customs, eccentricities, and figures of speech, as she was making connections and treatises. In the embassy her fellow aristocrats often complained about difficult translations or how it was busy work when a computer could handle the task. It was true that artificial intelligence was an excellent translator, but they often missed details in the original syntax that could make a boring report be a passive aggressive thinly veiled insult.

"You wish to learn despite this?" Lithyll repeated with mild surprise. It was work with little reward by her estimation. Sole would go through the effort of mastering Kalderi only to make it easier on the Kalderi who wanted to interact with her and were not fluent with the universal tongue.

"Yes. I can upload whatever you provide to me to Mia, the computer for our ship, and I will do my best to study when we are traveling. Currently I have been attempting to solve a personal mystery," she divulged, trying to be vague to respect the privacy of her beloved, "but I would appreciate having more to do, and I have always enjoyed the study of language. I would be in your debt if you would humor my amateur attempts," she emphasized with a courteous nod of the head. Solae was humble but she was no novice; she had passed her intermediate levels faster than her peers on account of her diligence and zeal. This would be trying to learn through a different format, but she was more than capable of adapting, just as those in olden times might practice via submersion.

"I will make the arrangements," Lithyll agreed, seeing no reason to object.

[Penny]

Rene marveled at his fiancee’s skills. Solae would certainly never have aspired to the rank she had been granted, but the Empress had made an excellent choice in elevating her to high office. It was possible that the choice had been made on the spur of the moment but Rene didn’t think so. The PEA call had been, had to be in fact, tagged with Solae’s genetic information when it was routed to the Empress and she wouldn’t have answered the call without reviewing what information was to hand on Capella, if nothing else she would have wanted to make sure it wasn’t some ploy by plotters to locate her in her hiding place. Still it had been a bold move, for the sake of the people of the Eastern Cross Rene was glad she had made the decision that she had, though he knew in her heart of hearts Solae might have been happier without such responsibility. Ironically it was people who wanted power most who were least to be trusted. Duke Tan essentially ruled an entire sector of human space and yet it hadn’t been enough, whereas Solae Falia wanted nothing more than a simple life and had been thrust into prominence by his actions.

They talked idly for a few more minutes before four Kalderi entered the courtyard of the manor through the stone lintled gate. Two of them Rene recognized as Andayll and Totlya both dressed in sober robes of dark blue. The second pair were new to the humans, both appeared to be male but dressed in what Rene was coming to think of as casual garb for the Kalderi, or at least, casual garb for the strata of Kalderi society that he and Solae had thus far interacted with. It was a human assumption that there were rich and poor of course, Rene didn’t know for certain that was true of the Kalderi. Some had grander houses than others and he assumed there were artisans who built the various wondrous devices, or at least designed them, but he hadn’t seen any evidence of them. Many humans felt that such economic divisions within the Stellar Empire were unnatural, but so long as humans continued to reproduce faster than their economy grew, and faster than they could terraform new worlds, inequity would continue. Rene was not an economist but he had been taught, and believed, that it was the role of the nobility to use their wealth and power to improve the lives of the common people by providing peace and stability. Perhaps if they had the leisure he could learn more of how the Kalderi had, apparently, met that challenge.

“Duchess Falia, we have come to discuss Totlya’s grievances,” Andalyll declared without preamble. Solae nodded solemnly. Lithyll had explained that speaking with the Voice of the Wronged meant that Totlya was entitled to tell his whole story without interruption. Under normal circumstances Rene would have readied some sort of recording device, but he was confident that Mia would take care of electronic records. Totlya stepped forward, pressing out his wings slightly to appear larger than he was. Rene was pleased to see that despite their differences in culture and physiology, there were some things which were apparently true of all young males.

“My mate, Bel’rian, was taken by force by a human trader who spirited her away on his ship,” Totlya declared, his words so rapid they almost tumbled over themselves. There was a momentary awkward pause before Andalyll beat his wings slightly. Rene wasn’t certain what the gesture meant but Totlya glanced at his kinsman and then turned back to the humans.

“Bel’rian is a collector of human art, she frequented the trading district. That is where she first met this human abductor, a trader named Bouradine,” the Kalderi explained, expanding his admirably succinct but not particularly useful description of his grievance. The disgust in his voice was evident when he spoke of the trader.

“Bouradine is a pirate, an outcast even among their own kind, they lured my Bel’rian to their store under the guise of providing her with new works of art. She went in and has not been seen since. The human coward was seen taking a large shipping crate from their store to their vessel at the starport before it flew off. When I went to his store I found it abandoned, cleaned out of everything of value. This human has abducted my mate, I demand redress! ” Totlya ended the tale on a shout, his voice having been steadily rising as he recounted his grievance. Andalyll looked a little embarrassed at this but none the less nodded his head.

“The community agrees that Totlya’s account is more or less correct, though it is unclear whether Bel’rian was abducted or went willingly.” Totlya opened his mouth to voice what was clearly an angry objection. Andalyll held up a hand and a wing in a blocking motion which silenced the youth.

[Syrenrei]

While she had hoped that Totlya's tale might better illuminate the inter-cultural predicament, it confused the duchess more than it lent any clarification. Despite her mounting questions she was patient and silent while she waited for the younger Kalderi to finish. Long ago she had learned that people were seldom completely truthful, not always purposefully, but because perception was so heavily influenced by their individual bias. Members of the embassy and the aristocracy that engaged in certain social roles underwent exercises in an attempt to eliminate their skewed sense of reality, yet it was never really purged. Glancing towards Andalyll and Lithyll, the linguist was beginning to appreciate that these were universal struggles not limited to their species alone, that their race was not able to divest them from their emotions perfectly and passively.

"Forgive me for asking," she began slowly, "but if Bouradine was off ill repute, why was he allowed to have a shop?" The answer would have come out when they spoke with the human merchants, but she wanted to confirm some of her suspicions here if she was able, and avoid having to possibly insult the man's peers. Potentially they would have best clues as to where he had apparently vanished. That they hadn't shared anything with the Kalderi themselves could be for a variety of reasons, but the one that sprang to mind was that they wanted to put as much distance between themselves and the transgressor, and if they admitted he was a friend of any sort they might fear retribution from the aliens. For the exclusive few that were allowed on the planet it was not violence that they feared, but more likely being incriminated by proximity or familiarity, and then being ejected from a profitable arrangement. Above all else the brokers valued coin.

"His true nature was not known," Totlya impetuously replied before he could be stopped by either of his seniors.

A knowing glance was exchanged between Solae and Rene, who she knew had come to the same conclusion: Bouradine was no pirate. Trading with the Kalderi was a privilege that his colleagues would not let be jeopardized. There was peace between the races, but a treatise was not a guarantee of warm relations, impunity for crimes, or continued business. Almost certainly the man in question had been relatively upstanding, thus why he was given the honor of being here, and why he had not been ousted by the others. When news spread about the abduction everyone had gone into self-preservation mode, probably genuinely surprised by what he had done, and quickly disavowed him to save their own skin. The Kalderi were not so innocent as be ignorant of the concept of lying, or that humans could be deceptive, but she doubted they truly understand the complex nuances of human civilization. Issues were dealt with collectively as a team in their culture; they would not have the same type of selfishness prevalent.

"She could have gone along willingly," the duchess began, earning her an expression of anger on Totlya's features, "but been misled about where she was being taken, for what purpose, or for how long. We will do our best to find her," she promised, which was much as she would guarantee. They would return her as well if possible, but not by force if she resisted or argued that it was for her own benefit that she left in the first place. As dedicated as Solae was to improving the rapport between Kalderi and the empire, if not the empress herself, she would not compromise her values to do so- not that she thought Lithyll or Andalyll expected that she would be callous. The latter of the pair was reserved and more restrained what he had revealed to them, but she had to assume he trusted her to some degree to be so accommodating in facilitating this meeting, and that she could infer he had faith in her judgment. Sending her on a mission to investigate a lost female Kalderi would be dangerous if they thought she might harm their citizen.

"Would it be possible to have a list made of the other human merchants with shop near Bouradine? And human ships that were here at the time she was taken? I'd like to compare it against our vessel's database," she explained, spreading her palms in a placating gesture. "Rene, myself, and our artificial intelligence assistant, Mia, should be able to narrow down the routes he would have taken when he departed if we can narrow it down to where he's been before. It's also possible," she continued, "that the other humans here might know something without realizing they know." It was a kinder way to assert that the wrong queries were posed, with the best intentions, although she still believed they had been less forthcoming with the Kalderi than they would be with fellow members of the human race.

[Penny]

Totlya opened his mouth, possibly to object to Solae’s words or assertions but Andalyll made a sharp gesture with an unsettling combination of his right hand and left wingtip that silenced the younger male. Not for the first time, Rene wondered if there was some political angle here that was too obscure or simply too alien for them to understand.

“The Duchess has spoken and has agreed to help redress this wrong,” Andalyll said formally. He bowed to Solae and then said something to Lithyll in the Kalderi language before taking Totlya by the arm and withdrawing. No one spoke until the pair had passed the stone lintel at the entrance of the gardens.

“They seemed in a hurry to leave,” Rene remarked arching an eyebrow. Lithyll nodded and made a slight hissing sound which Rene had learned to interpret as a sigh.

“Andalyll does not want to risk Totlya causing an issue with careless words, wounds of the heart quickly lead to wounds of the mind,” the alien lamented. A human might have added wounds of the body to the list but Rene didn’t feel a need to amplify the statement.

“As for your questions Duchess Solae, the humans handle their own records of ships coming and going. The vessels in orbit perhaps have records, but perhaps not,” Lithyll told them. The idea that military vessels, or at least what Rene thought of as such, wouldn’t keep accurate records of shipping struck Rene as profoundly wrong but perhaps the Kalderi viewed matterers differently. All in all it sounded like a matter best handled by police, but the Kalderi didn’t have an analogue of that human institution. Crime was not unknown among them, but it was rare and generally the result of a disturbed mental state rather than an act of desperation. Empowering one part of the community over another in such explicit terms was antithetical to their world view, even their leaders as Lithyll and Andayll certainly were, seemed to be individuals who had a talent and desire for the role which was recognised by the group, rather than any explicitly official status.

The conversation went on for a few more minutes, though there was little additional information to be gained. Lithyll knew little of Bouradine or any other human traders and had only biographical knowledge of Bel’sian. Perhaps the most interesting revelation came in response to a question from Rosaria who wished to know how Toltya had become Bel’sian’s mate in the first place. Lithyll explained that when a Kalderi female reached an age a ceremony was held by her family and their circle. The woman had to give her assent to the proceedings, which wasn’t a given, Kalderi who didn’t wish to mate for whatever reason could and not infrequently did, decline to continue the rite. If they did assent males who were interested would gather and engage in a variety of courtship rituals, the lesser rituals did not involve combat and weeded out those the woman found overtly objectionable. Only at the end was a trial by combat invoked in order to determine a choice between two equally qualified males. Rene wasn’t a sociologist but he got the impression that the transgressive nature of violence in Kalderi society gave the act a special significance above and beyond its physical dimensions. Totlya had gone through the rite over a year ago and he and Bel’sian had been mates ever since.

“I think our best bet is to speak to the traders ourselves,” Rene stated when the discussion had wound down.

“They might be more forthcoming with us, I’m sure if this Bouradine did abduct Bel’sian they are nervous that their trading concessions will be revoked or worse. Though…” he trailed of looking at Solae.

“Anyone that sees you might carry word back to Duke Tan that you are here,” he worried. Rene didn’t think the Duke was foolish enough to risk a war with the Kalderi by trying to remove Solae by force, but that wasn’t certain.

[Syrenrei]

"I'm not sure that we have a choice," Solae said, seeing the logic in his argument but at a loss of how to mitigate the danger. "We can't very well send Yarue and Dasin; even on a world governed by the Kalderi they are unlikely to show proper respect to either of them, and they won't take Rosaria seriously," the duchess explained to paramour in the ancient imperial language that they, as well as all the children of nobility, were required to learn. He had spoken it before so she knew he was proficient enough that they could carry on a short, private conversation in the presence of others when necessary. Rude as it was to purposefully speak a tongue in which others were not fluent in their presence, she thought it was even more cruel to spell out why only she and Rene were equipped to question the traders, and to acknowledge the discrimination of their civilization aloud.

"What about a disguise?" the teenager proposed. "Didn't you wear one on Zatis?"

Pondering it for a moment the linguist shrugged, acknowledging it had potential, though there were some complications that they had now that did not exist the last time she went incognito. "It could be worth a try, but the Kalderi are unused to deception, and it would be an imposition upon them to ask them to keep me a secret or mislead the rest. Soon news will spread of our arrival, with only the best of intentions of course, and the traders will no longer be in the dark about my identity. For all we know, they have already been made aware. It would have to be a very compelling disguise," Solae added, seeing the discouragement on Rosaraia's face. "It would have to be good enough to fool the Kalderi we met last night well enough they wouldn't recognize me."

"What would happen if you are recognized?" Dasin asked in his deep voice as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next. He and his fellow Syshin had made it known they were not enthusiastic fans of the aliens' culture- they barely stood still when they were anywhere that they could see vast expanses of water since it was so unsettling to them- but they were even more apprehensive about Duke Tan. Both had heard enough about him to be wary. If his mercenaries on Zatis were any indication, he posed a serious threat to not only their mistress, but a great many lives. Any man who executed his own kind simply because they might not be willing to betray their leader, or who were inconvenient obstacles, was horrifying. Not every Syshin was virtuous, but they did not even have names for the bloody ambition of someone so morally bankrupt.

"The former duke has quite the reward for my capture, and I presume any information that is sent to him will also earn generous compensation. Now that we've been able to warn the empress of his treachery and I've been appointed to his position, inheriting his holdings... I do not know him well, but enough to know he'll want to make a retaliatory gesture," she said, dropping her voice slightly as they began to make their way back towards the Bonaventure for a change of clothes. The Kalderi were almost unfailingly kind, but Ten's supplies would be more useful if they wanted to create a costume for the golden-haired aristocrat.

"I don't understand," Yarue said flatly with a hint of irritation in his voice. Whether he was annoyed at himself or Solae for being vague and obtuse was ironically unclear.

"It's all speculation," she emphasized, "but he might try to claim me as his wife to legitimize himself now that I've attained a higher status, he might want to parade me around as a prisoner as a warning to the rest of the empire, he might seek to take out his frustrations through sheer cruelty for the setbacks we've caused him. It might be worth seeing if we can intercept some communication from his loyalists," Solae mentioned to Rene the more she pondered about the issue. "He must know what we've done, so the bulletins he send out will be different, and we might be able to glean how his plan has shifted."

"What about you?" Rosaria asked the soldier in question pointedly, "Are you going to wear a disguise too?

"We might still have some of those furs that Dasin and Yarue wore back on Zatis," Solae jested playfully. Not only would they not fit her fiance, they would be far too revealing, and be distracting to the traders in all the wrong ways. Hell, she would assume something was amiss if anyone strolled up to her business with such attire. "Mia," she called out as they reached their vessel, a wonderfully familiar sight that soothed frayed nerves. "I want you to document every human ship in orbit or landed. We're going to need to conduct some interviews."

[Penny]

Master Caperelli, the owner, operator and sole employee of Caperelli trading, was reluctant to speak. He was well into his sixties and if not exactly fat, then certainly soft and why not? Years spent trading in the profitable Kalderi markets had obviously treated him well. They sat cross legged in what, evidently, was Kalderi fashion on elaborately embroided form fitting cushions in a parlor with an elaborate mosaic floor. The mosaic depicted a sea side and was artfully fashioned to appear most stylized at the center point and grew increasingly realistic until it blended into a holographic ocean projected onto the walls. While the effect was well executed and doubtlessly expensive, Rene found it to be slightly gaudy.

After some discussion they had decided not to bother with subterfuge. Solae had pointed out that her appearance was scarcely less likely to get rumors going than a human ship landing inside the Kalderi precinct and debarking mystery guests, including Syshin, who had been treated with honor by the normally insular aliens. It would be a very poor intelligence apparatus indeed that failed to put those pieces together. There was a political purpose also, these people, for all that they lived in Kalderi territory, were Solae's subjects and if she was to rule them, the notion that she had bravely gone about her duty even while Tan was hunting her might be an important piece of PR if and when she was able to openly rule the sector. Rene could intellectually understand the reasons, but that didn't mean that he liked them.

"Yes, my lady, I am familiar with Bouradine," Caperelli admitted. That was more than they had managed to get from the first two trading houses they had called on. Whatever his status had been before the incident with Bel'sian, Bouradine had become a leper overnight when his actions had jeopardized the trading enclave. People who had been his neighbors now claimed not to know or even to have heard of him and no amount of reassurances from Solae had been able to convince them otherwise. Rene would have been willing to strong arm them if it had been necessary, but he was just as pleased that Caperelli had been willing to speak with them. He was dressed in a suit of dark grey, the same shade as, and cut to resemble, a second class Marine uniform, the kind that was worn for normal non-combat duties. The first class uniform would have been too much for this occasion and was rumpled beside from having been tossed on the floor during last nights enthusiasm. It was useful to have a reminder that he was a soldier, without coming right out and saying it. Rene continued to marvel at Ten's forethought, if he was as meticulous in all aspects of his life, Alayla Thorne's organisation didn't stand a chance. They sipped tepid and astringent tea from small cups of etched glass while the old man choose his words.

"You musn't believe the rumors, Gregorie Bouradine is a sharp business man, and maybe not always as concerned as he should be as where his supplies come from, but he is no murderer, nor kidnapper neither," Caperelli went on. He had a voice like rustling parchment but he was firm and confident in his speach.

"His shop was empty when they searched it you know, cleaned out, he must have been planning whatever it was for some time, though I confess not to have noticed. Some men do cash out, take their money and return to Imperial space to live the high life," Caperelli ruminated, apparently finding such an act to be as puzzling as a fish deciding to take up chess. Judging by his aping of Kalderi style, the man had well and truly gone native, he even shrugged his shoulders at odd points, perhaps unconsciously trying to imitate the body language of his hosts.

"What a Kalderi girl would want with him is beyond me, but she used to come to his shop on the regular, didn't seem to buy too much, though there was some of that," the old man explained.