Homeplate

Grezzk's life had changed in several ways. It was refreshing in some ways. Each day was a steady stream of visitors, such that the door to their quarters was opened before breakfast and never closed until it was time for everyone to sleep. While the children were not particularly troublesome, they were children and required a great deal of care and supervision. The Clanmothers were helpful to a point, but at the same time there were other children who needed care and learning. Lomeia was a gift from the gods in this - she seemed to be everywhere, and her organizational skills as a librarian were highly useful. Despite all of this, there was one thing in the way.

They didn't have ships. Or a name. Several had been considered and subsequently ignored, while the few that remained seemed equally useful. She tapped her finger on a tablet, examining it carefully. Nhoot was singing Hurdop songs to Rhipl'i and her brothers and giggling at the faces they made. It was odd to hear familiar songs with different words - almost as odd as her recent habit of putting printed stickers of the clan symbol on her bare shoulders. Still, she looked at her tablet and paused for a few moments while she considered how many stacks of paper she would have gone through before all the things that had happened. Still, no matter how many times she ran through the numbers, the result was the same.

They could do this fast, in which case they would have to ask for help or they could do it slowly, in which case they were going to hope that space didn't destroy their company. With that reality tapping through her head, she sent a message to Vilantia and looked up to her door as a familiar scent heralded Lomeia's arrival. Oddly there was a great fear of something in the air.

"Greatlord Aa'Lafione - my father - sends word. He says that he intends to challenge my choice in joining the Freeclan."

There was a grimace, and even Nhoot fell silent for a moment before she looked and blinked.

Grezzk looked down, considering the message she'd sent to Lady Ah'nuriel. She was going to have to send another one.

Nhoot trundled over to give Lomeia a hug as well as temporary possession of Rhipl'i before looking between the two for a moment, concern and curiosity large within her before she spoke.

"I don't want Papa to kill her Papa." She paused. "It makes Papa sad when he does that, even when he has to."

Both Lomeia and Grezzk blinked at the young Hurdop who blinked back as if they were the ones missing the obvious. "On the old ships, challenges were always until someone couldn't move. Is it not like that on the Vilantia?"

Grezzk lifted Nhoot up gently. "No. Papa will have to prove his leadership before the Arbiter of Challenge. Normally it's a Lord from a third clan who is supposed to be fair. But these days I'm not sure a proper Arbiter could be found."

Nhoot scrunched her face up. "Can we go to Vilantia and tell them to leave Papa alone?"

There was a soft laugh from Grezzk. "We can't my little fighter. But we can ask the gods to listen." She paused. "And no, you cannot stow away on the next ship bound for Vilantia."

Nhoot pouted at her Plan B being exposed. "...but I want to help Papa."

"To do that, this time you'll have to stay here. Sometimes the best things we can do are from afar."

There was due consideration given to this before Nhoot's Plan C formed on her face. "Okay Mama!" The she hopped off and retrieved Rhipl'i from Lomeia before dashing to her room.

Lomeia looked at the bizarre display and looked at Grezzk hesitantly. "What...what is she doing?"

"I am not sure. But it will show itself in time. For the moment, we need to assess what we can bring to the Vilantian-Hurdop Trade Cooperative beyond our credits."

___________

Terran Foreign Legion Ship Twilight Rose

Delia caught up to Gryzzk during lunch. While she had toned down the volume of her dress and scent, the colors more than made up for it. Today the colors shifted and changed, but always seemed to settle on the company colors more often than others. Or it was simply that Gryzzk noted the company hues more than any other colors. She settled with a small salad garnished with cheese and looked around regally before speaking.

"So has your secretary told you what I would like to propose?" Delia cocked her head inquisitively, the strands of light woven in her upswept hair pulsing through colors in a slow rhythm.

Gryzzk winced in spite of himself. "I do not have a secretary, I have an Executive Officer. She is also second-in-command of this ship and hears everything that happens. She also has a very colorful vocabulary and no problems expressing herself should the situation warrant."

There was a casual wave in return. "Oh, you don't know how truly valuable a good secretary is. They may as well be second-in-command. In any event, I have something of a proposal. Your daughter is a delightful individual, but she needs to learn things. She knows so little of even the sector, perhaps broadening her education would help her decide what she wants to be?"

Gryzzk was thoughtful as he considered this. "Does this program include the rest of the company?"

There was a puzzled expression. "Why should it? It would be for children."

A soft chuff was Gryzzk's initial reply. "It is becoming known on my homeworld that the Terran clan way includes literacy for all. We don't believe in that - we use common scents and shapes, and in certain areas hired readers to read letters aloud."

From Delia's expression, Gryzzk may as well have slapped her. Or worse, criticized her fashion choices. "You...your people can't read?"

"The majority can. But there is a significant minority who can't."

"But...but how?"

"How do we not read? Forgive my saying but you'll have to expand the question a bit more."

"No, how do you not teach people to read?" Delia was flustered. "

"Quite frankly, it's a matter of resources. As an example, before all of this - " Gryzzk gestured to the mess hall casually "I was a Lead Servant in a household that was known for its wines and food crops. We were relatively well off. But every night for three years before the treaty with Hurdop, our power was disconnected at night to ensure that the arms factories could run unabated." He lifted his tablet. "I knew in general terms how a tablet worked from my father's stories, but we did business on pen and paper - and as soon as a contract had been fulfilled, the paper was scraped and cleaned for a new set of words and the scrapings collected to be remade into new paper sheets." Gryzzk's voice softened. "But this, these things that we're doing now will help, but overall? Reading is wealth, and my homeworld - our destination - is not rich."

Delia looked like she was almost ready to burst into tears. "But how could Chastity...she...her...her friend can read?"

There was a nod. "Of course she can. Her aunt was a Minister, with privileges I will never know if I live twelve generations past my time."

Delia picked at her salad, her scent becoming somehow morose, as if she was realizing the depth of the water she was about to dive into. "I - but you have art."

"Of course we do. We have art in all its various forms, parks, and sport, all of the civilized things that the public at large enjoys." Gryzzk slid out from his table, noting Charles going through the line for his lunch and selecting a table with other Terrans. "We even have an area on the ship for recreation. If you would care to join me, I will show you a few other things we have."

His offer was considered and then there was a nod. "Of course. I think...I think I need to think."

The two walked slowly to the recreation area which brought a few surprises for Delia. First was the "No shoes" reminder, which brought her up short.

"But...why?"

"A decision made by my daughters. Nhoot was from a Ship-clan and had never felt grass before her first visit to Vilantia. She was so taken by it that at our next refit she and Gro'zel had a grass floor put in. I think it lifts the mood of the ship quite a bit." Gryzzk slipped his shoes off and placed them in a small box. "Do not concern yourself - your shoes will be where you leave them."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The second surprise for Delia was seeing Reilly with a cup of coffee and the electro-gurdy, singing softly to a semi-circle of individuals - it was a song about a child who was struggling against their parent's expectations, with the chorus talking about how the child was numb and unable to feel their parents there and wanting to be more like themselves and less like their parents. There was even acknowledgment that the child could fail in whatever they were doing, but the alternative to being themselves was unthinkable.

After she finished that song Reilly moved into another song, this one much more deliberate and measured - it was a song from a woman's perspective, begging someone to not be Romeo to her Juliet. As the song carried on, verses were sung to the protagonists' parents to calm them and make sure they both knew that there was never a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo.

Gryzzk frankly didn't understand the song - it touched on parts of the Terran psyche that were unknown to him, but Delia's demeanor changed dramatically. First there was surprise, then it morphed to shock and fear bordering on horror. Gryzzk looked up to see Delia paler than he'd seen her. Not a good sign in Terrans. Then when Reilly finished, she looked up and saw the frozen Delia on the other side of the dayroom.

There was a long moment before Delia turned and fled. Not dramatically or for any effect, but the terror of someone confronted by something that they didn't want to witness but couldn't deny.

For Reilly's part, she looked a little embarrassed and tired. She stood up, putting the instrument in it's case before walking over to Gryzzk.

"Major...I didn't sleep too well last night. I'll make it, but I ain't gonna be crisp."

Gryzzk nodded. "I understand." He checked his tablet. "You have three hours. I'll have Rosie wake you for breakfast. Now scoot."

"Yeah, I should do that before I get Delia'd." Reilly hefted the case and made her way to her quarters, humming softly.

Now that he was relatively free, Gryzzk decided that now would be a good time for an impromptu inspection of the ship. The doctors were arguing about some specific of bone density to necessary tendon and muscle, but not unkindly - which surprised Gryzzk on several levels. Vilantian divorce wasn't unheard of, but the circumstances that surrounded such things made it impossible to have the former couples within scenting distance. In addition to that, the rumors he'd heard about other Terran divorces made him think that thrown objects and hurled insults were the norm. He made a note in his tablet to investigate further as he poked his head into the armory - ostensibly for inspection, but this was a day that made him long for the scent of a wife.

He regretted this action immediately. It seemed that there was a rivalry of sorts between the Infantry-Security section and the Armory as he took in the scene from the armory proper to the range. Firstly, the Terrans in each squad seemed to be acting like horses as they hunkered down on hands and knees in preparation. Each Terran had a Vilantian or Hurdop secured to the 'horse' with duct tape, and each rider had a plastic pipe in one hand and a food tray shield in addition to their upper body armor. At a whistle, the two horses would race toward each other while the riders would attempt to knock their opponents off using only the pipe. During this, his wife was wearing a referee shirt and waving flags to signify who had won the respective round.

Gryzzk watched a few passes as the respective squads cheered and jeered, trying to figure exactly what was happening before Kiole lifted her head and moved it left-and-right to discern a familiar scent. Finally she saw Gryzzk and froze for a moment before she spoke.

"Grizzly Alert!"

At that, the entire room fell silent and everyone scrabbled to attention, despite the inherent difficulties of looking appropriate while having another individual duct-taped to them. The only sound was someone going "Shit" followed by a thump as a rider hit the deck solidly.

Gryzzk closed his eyes. The scent of the armory was highly entertained, and overall he knew that this was necessary in some odd way. However the rules in this were clear. He was going to have to demand an explanation from the sergeants. The sergeants wouldn't outright lie, however they were going to be coming up with a ridiculous explanation for what was happening. Finally he was going to have to accept it and also convey a level of disapproval.

"Sergeant Wahlgren, Sergeant Nelas. Why do I not see the two of you in front of me?"

The two sergeants rushed to the fore. The armory sergeant had Prumila taped to his back, while Sergeant Nelas had decided to be more expedient and simply taken her shirt off, standing in front of her commanding officer wearing shorts and an athletic bra, leaving Col'un to stand as best he could.

Gryzzk placed his palms together, fingers just under his nose. He took a deep inhalation, scenting the dirt under his nails that hadn't been fully washed away before he exhaled half a breath. He'd given them all the time he could. "I am waiting for one of you to explain this...event."

Sergeant Nelas cleared her throat. "Well sir, what had happened was we were engaged in a historical re-enactment. Of sorts."

"Additional training, sir." Wahlgren added helpfully.

Gryzzk kept his voice and emotions professionally neutral - it wouldn't do for the non-Terrans in the room to immediately notice that he wasn't believing them. "Both historical re-enactment and training? While I am not as well-versed in history as our Engineering department, I must confess I have never heard of either the Vilantians or Hurdop using Terrans as riding mounts."

There was a voice from the back who quietly commented "Someone needs to check with Lomeia about -" the rest of the comment was cut off with a whuff as an elbow was delivered sharply.

The sergeants ignored the comment - at least immediately. Nelas continued explaining the scene, stammering a bit as she rattled off an explanation on the fly. "Well, Terran history. You see cavalry horses used to be really expensive to keep and maintain - so to offset some of the costs they invented, ah, some games and such to keep the horses fit and soldiers ready. That way when the Lord or King or whoever called they'd be ready like good cavalry are. One of those things was jousting - you take two knights, face 'em off against each other and the object was to knock the other knight off his horse with this bigass thing they called a lance."

Wahlgren picked up the tale. "And well, while our normal PT routines are solid, you sometimes need to work muscles you don't usually use so in case you have to do something else. So after we were dismissed for free training, we thought it might be good to have an unorthodox session and also give some folks who don't know the deep origins of the cavalry a chance to see some of it first hand."

Part of Gryzzk's mind was complimenting himself on his assessment, while the inner Lead Servant gibbered and howled about the impropriety of it all, from the duct tape to Nelas' uniform choices to the fact that his secondwife was part and parcel to all of this. There was a mental strip of duct tape torn off as his inner Lead Servant was gagged and thrown into a closet for later dispensation.

Gryzzk's voice took on the mildest disapproval he could manage. "Well, with such an explanation I can see the wisdom in it...potentially. Please, pass my compliments to your captains and let them know that I look forward to their reports regarding any additional training that they deem necessary."

Their scents deflated as he mentioned talking with their captains - in their experience, no officer would like what was coming from the Major. The good officers would request that their squads not get caught at this extracurricular activity after some mild punishment, while the poor ones would dream up extra duty to fill the time. Gryzzk left the armory calmly and continued forward to the bridge to settle and actually command the ship - at least until dinner.

When the hour came, he went to the mess hall, where he found the Reillys already eating and having something of a rational discussion. Somewhat. Delia had regained her equilibrium somehow and was the most dominant voice, with the gentlemen at the table being reduced to bystanders for the evening match.

" - But I don't understand why you won't help with this? Certainly it would help this...company. Additionally it would help you rise beyond your...well." Delia was being patient, after a fashion. Her scent was hidden in some way which didn't exactly comfort Gryzzk.

His comm sergeant exhaled from her position facing away from Gryzzk. "Because one, not my call to make. You want to work with this company you ask the Grizzly, not me. If you were paying attention, you would have noticed he signed off on this job, not me. That's called a hint. And B, I cannot exaggerate how little I want to help you." She gestured at the mess hall. "All of this is transactional. You sign off on this, we do the job, and then we get paid." Reilly looked back to her mother. "And you go run your little world for another year until you decide it's time to try bring your defective product home again to be fixed so that your social club can't make you feel bad with their little jabs about how your batting average with spawn is only two out of three. So this little educational thing is your way of trying to convince me that you haven't finally gone full-blown batshit crazy."

Delia exhaled as Gryzzk settled in his spot before she continued. "Major, convince my daughter that I have this, this company's best interests at heart with my proposal."

Gryzzk wanted no part of this - and yet here he was. "Sergeant, she believes the company would be served well by whatever she proposes."

To her credit, the younger Reilly didn't snort in derision. "No."

Gryzzk shrugged, looking back at the elder Reilly. "I have tried, but she seems particularly obstinate today."

Delia took a calming breath. "I see."

Gryzzk fixed his eyes on Delia. "You ask me to commit to something scent unknown and retain the ability to be surprised when rejected. You are an amazing individual. I'm sure at some point I will find out what exactly is being proposed, but at this moment I remain quite uninformed."

There was another calming exhale from Delia as Reilly used the shift in conversational targets to head for the bridge. She looked at the sergeant leaving with frustration evident.

"I do not understand." She sighed softly. "I'm trying to help with education - that is something even you admit is necessary."

"I presume you have a candidate?"

"Of course I do. Jasper, he would be a perfect fit. He loves the outdoors, enjoys working with people, sculpts with foamed marble when he's not teaching...he's a wonderful person."

"Has he been consulted?"

"Well, no. Not yet. I was going to tell him when we returned to Anchiano."

Gryzzk had almost finished eating, but paused. "I think perhaps there is a lesson of sorts in this. You seem to have an expectation that the galaxy bends to your will, and it seems in many instances it does. However here there are things you cannot, and should not control - specifically my sergeants."

Delia looked up and around. "But she's just a little girl."

Gryzzk softened his voice. "I don't believe that she is. My daughters - now they are little girls. And in the years to come, they will become women in their own right, and all I can do is hope they have learned proper lessons from their parents." He paused, considering his next words. "Keep the memories of her as a little girl close, because they are something I will never know. But until you can see what she's become, how you see each other now will never change. She will never call you mother, and you will never call her Jenassa. And that is the pity of it all, because I find her company...educational."

Delia considered, attempting to salvage something in her favor. "Perhaps. But we still taught her so much. She should thank us."

"With the proper approach, she might. Until then, thank you for the enlightening conversation." Gryzzk stood and headed to the bridge, where he nodded to each of the squad before retiring to his quarters for another night of reading about plantlife.

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