Vilantia Prime, Ministry of Culture

Minister Larine settled into her chair on her private balcony with a half-full pitcher of cold wakeplant tea as soft unapproved music played. Her four guests were each sipping at their own glasses, discomfort in varying degrees evident on their faces.

"So, what have we found this week?"

Firstwife Raloni spoke, keeping her words calm and soft. "The Ministry of Science has been exceptionally generous in their answers to our queries. We asked for the last mention of the Freelords, and that final mention is found within the Twenty-Third Generation. The official history of the time was that during the Scouring of the Shamed, the Last Freelord was called to battle by Greatclan Aa'Plians under the Ministry of War. From there it was a traditional battle, skimmer-tanks and heavy artillery fire, the Freelord was routed and his body burned to ash. The oddity was that soon after, the Greatlord took retirement to write his memoirs. He wrote two."

There was a sip from the glass in front of her before she continued. "Greatlord Aa'Plians wrote the normal things one would expect of the War-wise in his first memoir, but the second memoir was kept under seal. In it he confessed that he was Freelord Domesi and that the real Greatlord Aa'Plians had died of a swamp fever during the course of the Scouring. The sons of Aa'plians were able to find Domesi and offered him their father's title contingent upon his retirement and subsequent honoring of their father's name when the opportunity arose. In exchange Domesi's daughter would marry the eldest son, name and title would be passed to the eldest son, honors would be accorded and both clans would join and live without further bloodshed." There was a pause. "Freelord Domesi included the lists of the dead from both clans - enough had died that both clans together made one full one."

The Minister furrowed her brow as history lessons were remembered. "Greatlord Aa'plians died fighting on Hyla IV. He split his forces which the Ministry of War says to never do, sacrificed himself in a feinted maneuver so that his son could..."

"So that he would not have to come home and tell his daughter that she was a widow. And not to put too fine a point on it, but the Ministry of War's comments on the action immediately afterward are filled with the most damning praise. There was a brief time of suspicion when they thought he was a Hurdop spy, as Domesi's actions were far afield from what Aa'Plians would have done."

There was a long silence as everyone considered what other uncomfortable truths the Ministry of science held. Finally Larine spoke softly. "Speaking of far afield...Lafione."

A chill of sorts settled over the group, before Lumisca spoke. "When he is not sedated, he continues his preparations for the challenge that has long passed." There was a pause. "We request dispensation - we cannot continue the family line with him in his current state; no legitimate wives or children may be born with his current condition." The unspoken reality was clear - mistresses and consorts would not produce legitimate heirs, and legitimacy was craved by the clan above all things at the moment.

There was a slight cant of the Minister's head. "What manner of dispensation am I to grant?"

"We are not of one mind in that. Mapolie believes he should be given a tree in the embrace of the light gods." Lumisca gestured to the Thirdwife casually. "Raloni believes a more radical therapy may be called for."

"More radical than killing him?" One of the small blessings of being a commoner in a ministerial role was that Larine hadn't fully internalized the euphemisms of the nobility.

Raloni nodded. "We...he denies reality at every turn, so we must force reality to be accepted. We would give him significant stimulants to keep awake for several days, and then the doctors would administer a hallucinogen and show what happened during the challenge. Force him to remember that time has moved forward and that he must do the same for the good of all. In a worst case scenario, he would revert to a state of catatonia. In the best case, he could realize his position. In either event he or the Thirty-Fourth Aa'Lafione would be able to proceed with the functions a Greatlord is required to perform by his noble birthright - allowing us more time to proceed with our other duties."

"I will have to consult with the Freelord regarding this treatment; both proposals seem excessive in one manner or another, but the truth is that Lafione was spared. The gods have more for him to do yet." Larine considered. "Consider the possibility that the Greatlord and the Freelord could meet again, if the doctors felt it possible.

___________

Terran Foreign Legion Ship Twilight Rose

Gryzzk rose from his bed, smiling softly at the bundle that held Kiole. It seemed that stealing two blankets satisfied her need for warmth, so the third blanket was left for him. The day had been shorter than most, however he and the company were going to be fortunate to have a few days in R-space to reset themselves to the ship's time.

Part of Gryzzk actually felt a little sad about leaving Terra; the cultures and subcultures felt more vibrant than Vilantia, where cultural differences were almost a matter of degrees - part of Gryzzk wondered what would have happened had the wisdom of the current Throne been granted to perhaps the Seventeenth Throne. These musings occupied his mind while he tended to his plants, making small notes in his tablet regarding the growth of each individual seedling.

There was a soft murmur as Kiole slowly emerged from her cocoon, stretching and twisting in a manner that was inadvertently attention-grabbing and made Gryzzk contemplate taking a sick day. Finally she wrapped herself in a shiny purple half-robe made of amazingly soft cloth and settled on his lap with a nibble.

"Anything from Moncilat that would be concerning?"

"Not immediately - I do have concerns regarding Yomios and Miroka. Being so close and yet so far from home may cause their attention to wander." Gryzzk waited a moment. "Rosie, I presume you've been listening and have suggestions with respect to my current Moncilat woes."

"Of course I have, Freelord Titfucker. I'm just not watching."

Kiole laughed softly. "I don't think she wants my rear on her visual pickups again."

Rosie sounded a bit indignant and possibly even petulant as she replied. "Well, who would?!"

Gryzzk cleared his throat. "Personally, I can name two individuals who do not take offense at such a sight."

"Well that certainly paints an image our fanfic readers would desperately love to see, Freelord."

"Rosie I distinctly recall you behaving incautiously around our Chief Engineer. However, that is a discussion that should be saved as it does not help our Moncilat company."

"Well, I got thoughts, but maybe we should catch a Morale Officer's opinion, yeah?"

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"Is the Morale Officer awake?"

"Not sure she's slept - she's been showing off Millennium to everyone who comes back when she's not reading everything she can about birds and asking me to help with the long words." There was faint amusement in Rosie's voice.

"Well. We'll have to get her opinion before naptime. Which, given your report, should be soon."

There was a soft bugle call throughout the ship to let those aboard know that an announcement was coming from the XO; once it cleared Rosie's voice came over the speakers. "Lieutenant Gro'zel to the Major's cabin. Captain Wilson stop letting her sneak peanut butter clusters and tell her to come see Papa, she's got chorin' to do."

A few minutes later a very sleepy looking Gro'zel appeared. She'd added her own fur to the bottom half of the wicker cage to make a small travel nest for Millennium, and the bird seemed quite content in it for the moment.

"He doesn't like it so much here because he can't fly. I keep telling him he needs to get stronger." Gro'zel had a soft pout of sorts. "But I'm feeding him and I think he likes it."

Gryzzk leaned into his daughter for a moment. "Well, for the moment there are two things we need to talk about. One, I need you to think about Corporals Yomios and Miroka. Now we're going to their home planet, but they might be sad seeing it. Yomios isn't allowed to be there for a very long time and Miroka won't let herself do anything that Yomios can't do."

Gro'zel yawned and wobbled for a moment before her eyes lit up. "Ooh. We could bring Moncilat here?"

"Continue?"

"Well, like...have a night in R-space where we do a bunch of things from their world, like food and movies?"

"That could be a good thing. I'd like to see some more details once we enter R-space. However, there is a second concern, and that is a certain Lieutenant needs her rest."

Gro'zel pouted almost instantly. "But...what if Millennium gets hurt or flies away or fights Jonesy?"

"We'll make sure Millennium is safe. Just because he's your responsibility doesn't mean we will ignore him."

There was a touch of uncertainty. "But Papa...what if something happens?"

"Rosie will let us know. She watches over all of us, including Millennium, so if something happens she'll make sure you know. And part of taking care of things is taking care of you, remember?"

There was a slow nod and Gro'zel picked up her falcon and petted it gently. "I remember."

"Okay, we'll make sure to wake you if something happens. But for now, naptime."

Gro'zel gave both Kiole and Gryzzk little nuzzles and let herself be put to bed by the two only after making sure that Millennium was safe in his larger nest that she'd built for him. Afterward it was almost free time, with Gryzzk looking over all the tabs of inventory, inflow, outflow, medical reports, police reports, and most importantly the company bank balance while Kiole was reading manuals on the latest weapons from Fostech with her feet propped on Gryzzk's lap. There was a brief break for a snack, but after that Kiole took her blanket and went back to her quarters. Properly dressed.

Gryzzk glanced at the time and realized he didn't have a great deal of it left before they were due to leave port. He threw on his shipwear and then re-settled in his command chair, rolling his shoulders as he saw his normal day-shift team at their stations.

"XO, are the company and guests present and accounted for?"

"They are, Freelord."

"Excellent. Sergeant Reilly collect the mail, signal Orbital Control we wish to leave. Captain Hoban, once clearance is granted set course for Moncilat, ahead full."

Reilly nodded, speaking in rough voice. "Orbital control advises we may depart at our discretion. Mailburst received, delivering to the tablets now."

"Sergeant do you need to see the doctor?" Gryzzk turned a bit, taking a bit of a cautious sniff - she didn't smell ill, but there seemed to be some sort of strain about her.

Reilly shook her head. "No sir - just warm tea with lemon and honey and minimize talking for another next day or so."

"Is this going to be an ongoing concern?"

"No sir. Just had to get all the songs and whatnot taken care of for the sidehustle." She paused, looking very unhappy. "Sang five songs a total of seventy-nine times on top of twenty-seven commercial recordings across seven languages." She shook her head. "No idea how Mom and Dad pulled that shit off back in the day."

Edwards chirped up. "She couldn't talk at all yesterday. Pretty sure if you asked her what hell looked like, this'd be it. Can't talk smack, can't argue with her mom..."

Reilly's response was a smirk and single extended finger. "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Edwards." She glanced back toward Gryzzk. "Major, I know the duty roster calls for me to be on second shift while in R-space, but I'd like to request Corporal Larion be assigned as senior NCO."

Gryzzk lifted an eyebrow. "You're certain?"

Reilly nodded. "Yeah. I'm not saying Mom's reached Parental Enlightenment or anything, but she's...well, I mean getting taken hostage and robbed and all that kinda shifted her universe."

"Very well. Request granted - you will still be expected to show up for dinner tonight."

"But my throat..."

"You are authorized precisely three rude gestures to your parents in lieu of a reply. Four if you wear regulation shorts and not your newest fashion trend."

Reilly blinked. "...how did you know I was gonna..."

Gryzzk put his hand in his chin and gave Reilly what Gro'zel liked to call the 'Papa Knows' look. "Sergeant, you have been testing boundaries since the day we met. Are you really going to ask that question?" There was a soft sound of amusement before Gryzzk settled back in his command chair.

Rosie simply shook her head. "Yeah-so, got something big from Freelady Grezzk back at Homeplate as well as a few other bits and bobs. While we've been out doing our bit for capital-A Art, the rest of the Freelords voted you leader."

Gryzzk blinked. "Leader of what?"

"They're calling it the Freelord Compact or Freelord League. They're still workshopping an official name for it. The short version is that you're not the only Freelord among the Legions - pretty much every other ship has a Freelord on 'em. Not a problem until everyone stopped and realized that mercwork pays a lot of bills. Then a couple of the nobles looked at the income and realized they weren't getting a slice, said they wanted a slice and had no problem trying to push to get it. Compact pretty much says that any Hurdop, Terran or Vilantian noble pulling a Lafione again brings the full attention of all the Legions to their planet of origin and the specific clan or Greatclan who did the dumb thing is the one that gets the bill."

"So what exactly is my part in all this?"

"Well, they gave you the fuckin' C, Freelord. You get to be internal conflict resolution, power forward, and Public Relations lead." Rosie shrugged. "Also, you get a special rock for the meetings."

"Delightful." Gryzzk sighed. "I am sure the gods will in no way use this to inflict some manner of suffering on me. In any event, which company is in the Moncilat system now?"

"Foreign Terran Legion. Captain Drysel got a new ship and is kicking it around with the rest of his companies. Rumor mill says they refurb'ed one of the newer Warfreighter-class. If it rocks they're gonna start shipping their current ships out to militias looking for a cheap upgrade."

"Sounds profitable."

"Yeah, but we're not getting into the used ship business any time soon."

"There is that." Gryzzk stood up from his chair and retrieved his tea. "I think I need to have a discussion with the Moncilat before we make it to their system." He nudged his tablet. "Corporals Yomios and Miroka - report to the bridge conference room."

Gryzzk made his way to the conference room, getting a refill on his tea before settling in his chair.

The two Moncilat dipped their heads as they came in, not out of any special obeisance, but simple practicality. Gryzzk made a mental note to make sure the next refit at Homeplate included updating the doors. The two settled and looked nervously at one another before Yomios spoke.

"Major, is there a point of concern?"

Gryzzk nodded, placing a cup of tea in front of the two. "A pair of matters. First, we are reverting the duty roster so that Sergeant Reilly is not standing watch as senior NCO in R-space. That will fall to Corporal Larion. Secondly, you are aware that we are going to be in the Moncilat system in a few days. Our Morale Officer feels it might be beneficial to have a Moncilat Theme Night prior to emerging from R-space. Do you have any objections?"

The two seemed to have some surprise at this - Yomios seemed deeply interested in her tea after a moment, allowing Miroka to speak for the two of them. "Sir?"

"That's neither a yes or a no."

"It's not...displeasing, but - there are facets of our culture that may be difficult to understand."

"Would it be possible to explain them to a child?"

"We could."

"But do you want to."

There was a nod. "We could. I would have to find a proper recording and a few things to assist."

Gryzzk smiled softly, standing. "Thank you, both. I look forward to your education. And Yomios?" Gryzzk reached over to touch her hand gently. "If Miss Delia becomes exuberant, you have my permission to use the excuse that you are working on ship's business that supersedes whatever request she may have for you."

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