"So the next picture is me returning to Kagomei, to Innu, for some bit of unpleasantness."

"Unpleasantness, and a promotion."

"Not the way I'd have gotten this promotion."

"But it's a job for life, you can only get this job once someone dies.  Here."  She hugged her hérévallin."

"I guess I can't argue against that. Anyways, since Meihomei sent Kagomei One to pick me up we decided to take a picture against the fine bird."

"No way, you flew in Kagomei One?"

"I was the copilot for this flight."  Interjected Flora.  "And Amarat did the technical checks."

"What?"

"We had the flight, we had Meihomei's pilot, but we weren't with Meihomei and her support squadron pulled from Third Fleet.  Someone had to do flight checks, certify lubricants, fill up the tank,. the whole nine yards."

"Then you changed?"

"No, Amarat did all that with his powers, to keep his suit, and my dress spotless."

"Oh."

"I must have been a sight, wearing my Bellisama dress with a flight headset."

"You could have changed..."

"If my luggage wasn't in Brunswick, 250 kloms away, I would.  Remind me never to let you book me a party the day before we leave Amarat."

"Oh, so your luggage was mislaid, and you only had your nice dress?  That's cute, makes for a great picture too."

"Oh, here's another picture, this time with the pilot."

"He looks familiar... That's Tadros!"

"Yeah, he was filling in for the regular pilot."

"Back up, a Naval NCO above quota is a qualified hypersonic pilot?"

"He certainly flew competently from what I saw as copilot.  And that post is traditionally offered to NCOs above quota, wouldn't surprise me if it was how he came to Meihomei's attention."

"Except we didn't have hypersonics back then, just regular skycutters and fixed-wings."

"I checked his flight book, he has five hundred hours in hypersonics, including eighty in Kagomei One itself.  Two thousand hours in skycutters, half of which in flight refueling, the other half assault flights."

"Gunskycutters?"

"Yeah, but a type I don't know, Shadowraven?"

"Oi."

"What's that?"

"Classified.  You should know better than to mention them in mixed company." (Meaning civilian-military mixed company)

"Dentrag works for Kannie's at number 2, which is a burrshire property, like Sirius.  Dan is a Domei, Avalline and Syrtis are Sirius Board Members."

"How do you know, about Kannie's?"

"I own Burrshire Thataway, which owns Sirius and Burrshire Fund Management.  Only Indjab would be a civilian, except as Mariwolfe's Miptun, she's allowed to be sworn in for some of the less secret stuff."

"So if we're all trustworthy, what's a Shadowraven?"

"Low-detectability gunskycutter, an assault gunboat.  Like a cheetah with half the emissions.  Used for covert assault, special ops.  Shadowraven pilots are usually fast-tracked for promotion."

"As if Tadros needed it."

"The second reason they were classified is that they were used for Kagomei One before hypersonics."

"Oh, so he may have been Meihomei's pilot for a long time?"

"Ten years, by the file I saw."

"That's a lot."

"Peppered with medals, of course, including his first merit."

"No wonder he Telbunned."

"Ugh, don't do that, don't make Telbun a verb.  There's only one, it shouldn't take so much of the language."  Said Mariwolfe, her Telbun shoulder decorations gilded, pristine and new.

"It takes a lot of heraldic language as it is.  Half of the green ink I used up last year was about that particular department."

"It's a department?"

"Well, it's the department of defense, but it's not part of the Ground Forces, Lifeguards, Border Guards, Naval Forces, Fly Force, Special Forces or Star Forces.  I end up doing triple accounting in green ink because of that."

"How much green ink is it?"

"More than Star Forces and Special Forces combined."

"How much of Navy?"

"Ugh, ten per cent, Navy has lots of heavy hitters, four of which are in this room."  Maelle, Jima, Andei and Juraian blushed.  "Not that it's a bad thing when I only have nice things to say in green ink."

"I'm sure the fact that it was a Telbun succession made more green ink for you too."

"Oh, totally.  The only more perturbatory succession is Marhamat's.  Everything in there is in green ink."

"Well, duh!  Everything he did traces back to his three Merits..."  She enunciated the capital.  "And his Star-Emerald Knight dignity is just gravy."

"There's exactly two people like that right now, with a third considered...  And I shouldn't say this, but they're all here, in this room."

"What, you, your mom... and?"

"I'm considering Maelle for Valour-Keeper, I just can't be Nameihomei and Valour-Keeper."

"Noyjitat!"  Spoke Mikhala, the others looked shock, but were too stunned to say anything.

"Language, mom!"

"You're joking, right?"

"Nothing says the Valour Keeper has to be a NCO, even if that is the usual way of things."

"Why not the Telbun?"

"No offense, but Mariwolfe picks fights way too much to be the ultimate arbiter of honour in Kagomei."

"Ugh, yeah, I do make enemies."

"And I'm the only flag officer with a file for fighting..."

"But you only faught once, Mariwolfe has a semi-monthly thing where she has an appointment to court."

"To our new Valour-Keeper, and to the one we have now, who's destined for bigger boots to fill!"  Spoke Dan Ma, I didn't know then, but I know now, he's milord's father, trying to keep him out of the spotlight.

"Thanks, Dan.  Maëlle, you're really my first choice."

"Thank you, young Namei."

"Tsk-tsk."

"Mommmmmmmmmmmmm!"

"What, she can't call you that, you've not been a mere Prince for weeks now.  You're the crown prince, and de-facto second in command to Meihomei the moment I retire."

"Why haven't you?"

"What?"

"Why haven't you retired, Mikhala?  I thought you would..."

"Why would I?"

"Well, a woman in your condition..."

"My condition?"

"You... don't know?"

"What?"

"Show of hands, who at this table knew Mikhala was pregnant before I said anything..."

Six hands, sorcerors all, raised themselves, including Mikhala's.

"Mom, you're making me a lil brother?"

"Sister, if the elements are telling me true.  I learned that yesterday.  You knew?"

"Last month, you kept the sharp end of your tongue at me so consistently, I asked the elements, they told me you were having morning sickness..."

"And you Dan?"

"Same timeframe, same 'what has she eaten?'"

"Ugh, you guys could tell me, would have saved me two weeks..."

"Not our fault you prefer yelling at males then wondering the cause..."

"Ugh, ok, I guess I deserved that."

"Not mine, either."  That was Dan Ma, mentioning something I was wondering about.

"Ugh, he's Sosua's, sorry, Dan."

"Don't be sorry, I can't have all the kids, how will the grandkids match up if I do?"

"Ugh, you think it's a possibillity?"

"Well, Amarat needs to work on grandkids with Flora, but once he does, are we going to marry her off to Starboecks?"

"Ugh, ok, scary notion.  They hate all natural born sorcerors, which Amarat is, and any kids of his and Flora would be."

"Yeah, exactly."

"Not that Sosua's child, as a Dandelion is that much safer..."

"Child of Dandelion and Dandelion, because I'm Prithyanka's daughter."

"And he's Ami's brother?"

"Cousin, first cousin.  I kinda like my lifeguard boyfriend, well the one that's not the Earlmage Kautanissian."

"I feel useful, like a fifth wheel."

"You're a lot higher than that, but it's not like I'm first either."

"No, my family life is complicated."

"Having sixteen wives will do that."

"Sixteen, really?"

"Kei-Mist, Jaimee, Nyakki, Kimi, Pom, Xiang Xhi, Sothlee, Carmine, Ami, Rei, Mikhala, Stefni, Yasmine, Rucca, Jeanniesse, "