[b]Additions to the crew[/b] Jeremy entered the hangar, and looked over what had become something of a camp for their refugees. He didn't particularly want to be here, but he had reached the point where he couldn't stand being locked up in his quarters. He decided that was a good time to take his captain duties back from Toom, which meant dealing with this. He wandered through them for a moment before finding Eugene. "I'm sorry I haven't been here before," Jeremy said, "I've been dealing my Heart's death." Eugene gave him a curious look. "My mate, husband, in human parlance." "My condolence. I didn't realize you were a leafer too." "I am, but we don't use that term." "What term do you use?" "We don't have one. I'm just a male who has sex with other males." "How do you know who's safe to approach?" "What do you mean?" "How can you tell if you can . . . You know." "Have sex with him?" "Yes." "I ask him." Jeremy replied simply. "But before we get sidetracked by an explanation of the difference between our species' behaviors toward sex. I'm Jeremy Krommer," he had to pause for a moment. "I'm the ship's captain. I'm here to inform you of the situation we're now all in, so we can decide what we can do. Do you mind if the rest of your people listen in?" Those closer had already formed a circle around the two of them. "I don't." "Bridge, Override all the datapads in the hangar. Broadcast our conversation to anyone not within easy earshot." "Done, captain." Jeremy took a breath to steel himself. "Okay. Because of the destruction of your mining planetoid, you are currently homeless. We don't have the resources to help you settle another one. And you'll agree with me that taking you back within human territories isn't a good idea." Eugene nodded. "We contacted other ships we know to be sympathetic to your plight, unfortunately none of them can take your whole group. At best each ship could take two families." A murmur and shaking of heads spread through the crowd. "I think it's best if we stay together." "Alright. The reason I looked for another ships for you to go on, is that the Viper's Bane is a military ship. Things are quiet now, but it's only a question of time before we get called to a fight. You are civilians, I can't force you to take part in them, but you have to understand that by staying with us, you could become targets." "Can I have some time to discuss this with my people?" "Of course. You can communicate with everyone over the pads. I'll tell the bridge not to listen in." "That won't be necessary. Our discussion isn't secret. I just want to make sure everyone is okay with staying here." "Very well." Jeremy found a crate to lean against. He was surprised he was still standing. It had taken a lot of will to keep himself from shaking when he mentioned the planetoid. Now he felt like he'd run the entire training course. "Captain," Tamirik's voice sounded in the ear piece, "What do you want me to do with their conversation?" He took a moment to consider it. "Log it apart of the rest, just in case there's trouble down the line and we need to study it to see if this was part of the cause. Other than that, unless you hear something that you feel is a threat to the crew, I don't need to know what they are talking about." "Understood." Eugene spoke with his people for twenty minutes, and then came back to him. "We need your assurance that you will not purposely put us in danger," he said once he rejoined Jeremy. "You have it. You are civilians. We have security zone where family members go if we get into a firefight. You'll be told where the are." Eugene nodded. "Then we're satisfied with staying here. "Alright. Now, as for accommodations. You won't be staying here. We'll be moving some of the crew so you have a sections to yourselves." A sigh sounded through the crowd. "Actually," Eugene said. "I'd prefer that my people have quarters mixed within yours." Jeremy straightened, and Eugene raised his hands to placate him. "Nothing nefarious, I promise, but what this last week or so living here, clusters and apart, showed me, is that we insulate ourselves. I don't think anyone did more than poke their nose out the doors, even though there were no guards and they weren't locked. We have to stop living afraid. I believe that the best way to do that is to mix in with your people." Jeremy eyed the older man, and then leaned back against the crate, relaxing. "Okay, we can make that happen. Tamirik, get . . ." He paused as he tried to figure out who to give the logistics of housing all of them. "I have it captain, when we come off duty, me and the rest of the bridge will handle it." Multiple acquiescences came over the com. "Thank you, everyone." Jeremy's pride in his crew rose, especially in his daughter. "When you find out their preferences make sure you check if anyone is willing to share quarters with a kelsirian, and also check on our side who's willing to take in a human." "What about those of us who have families?" "We have sections of family units, they'll be locate there. They are suits of four rooms who are linked with six other suites via a shared kitchen. That way you don't have to depend on the mess hall for your food. "This leads to something else. Tamirik, put the symbol for the recreation rooms on the pads. On all of them appeared a six tier spiral which ended with a flower on top. The symbol for Danirag, the God of pleasure. "When you see this symbol next to a door, it means that the room is for recreation. They aren't all setup the same so when you want something specific, you may have to search around, until you're familiar with them. "The reason I bring this up is that it helps illustrate one of the biggest cultural difference between humans and kelsirians. One thing that you will see happen there, is sex." There was a shocked gasp. "For us, sex isn't something to hide from others. Obviously, we won't do it in the middle of just any public spaces." Jeremy reminded himself to send out a memo to his entire crew, reinforcing this order. He didn't want to have to deal with traumatized humans, just because a couple felt playful and thought they were alone in the loading bay. "But recreation rooms aren't 'just any public spaces'. I have to admit that I'm not familiar with human sexual cultures, but I have read human porn. I have to warn you. A couple having sex there, isn't an invitation to join them. If you don't know them, wait until they are done to ask them questions, be it to join them next time, or what ever questions you might have about our sexuality. You might manage to embarrass them, but I can promise that you won't anger them. If you are interesting in having sex with someone, just ask politely. If he or she refuses, don't be offended. It won't be personal. One final thing, jealousy is almost unheard of among kelsirians, this is something I know humans have difficulties with. We have no interest in breaking up the relationship you are in. If you and your partner are in an exclusive relationship, just tell who ever propositioned you, and they will move on. Right now, you are a novelty, and I have to admit that we have a lot of curiosity when it comes to sex. If for some reason one of my people keeps insisting, after you're told them no, contact me. Unless I'm in the middle of an emergency I will come and resolve the issue. "And one last thing on this subjects. Kelsirian cubs become sexually active between the age of six and nine. That means that you will see, at times, people you consider under age having sex." "You mean with an adult?" someone said. "Possible, but that isn't common. Cubs usually prefer staying close to their age group. You have to understand, that this is how things are for us, and not apply human morals on us. I will make sure that everyone on the ship knows it's different for humans. We all have to understand that this one point is probably going to be the one that causes the most friction, and we will all have to work at minimizing them. "Now, the bridge crew gets off shift in about 3 hours, so take that time to discuss how you want your living arrangements to be. If there's and problem, contact me." Jeremy turned to leave. "Wait," Eugene said, "there's something I need to discuss with you." Jeremy stopped and turned. "I'm listening." "We are immensely grateful that you and your crew rescued us, and thankful that you are taking us in, but we don't want to be your guests. We want to be working crew." "That isn't necessary," Jeremy said. "I know, and you probably don't want humans working kelsirian systems, but we have more than just technicians and engineers. We have cooks and doctors, and those of us who don't have skills you can use, we aren't afraid of hard work. We've spent our lives working hard in the mines, we aren't people comfortable with nothing to do." Jeremy studied him, and then looked over the crowd, which was nodding in agreement. "This is something I need to talk over with my superiors. I can't offer you any promises." "I understand, and we will accept your decision, when you make it." Jeremy looked them all over again, before leaving. * * * * * "Captain, the council is returning your call," the com told him. "Route it to my office." The space in front of him, over the desk, shimmered and the council symbol appeared. He moved it to the side. He hated having the screen form right in front of him. He'd tried for years to change it so it would appear to the side, but he couldn't make it happen. The symbol disappeared and was replaced by a face. "Thank you for taking my call, councilor . . . Querik?" It took him a moment to recognize his old friend. "They made you councilor, congratulation." Querik waved it aside. "When you reach a certain age. It's the only thing they can do with those of us who aren't ready to leave the service and bask in the sun. How are you holding up?" Jeremy opened his mouth to answer, but his voice caught in his throat. He closed his eyes and took a moment to get his emotions under control. "I am managing," he said finally. "I'm trying to remain busy right now, it's helping. And that's why I needed to talk with someone from the council. Have you read the report I sent?" "Yes. The humans you rescued want to work on the ship." "Which means some of them would be exposed to our systems." "Have you seen if anyone else can take them?" "Yes, unfortunately no one I'm willing to trust can take such a large groups, and they are leafers, so I can't return them to human space." Querik though for a moment. "We could find space for them planet side." "Is that wise? Groundsiders aren't exactly used to other species. I get stared at each time I'm down there. I'm just an oddity, but what's going to happen when a hundred human show up. It's going to make people nervous. We like to think of ourselves as enlightened, but there are still a lot of old ideas ground side, furless beings who steal cubs in the night and work for the lord of darkness. "And how are the humans going to cope on a world where almost no one speaks their language. Almost everyone here knows enough English to hold a conversation, and we're used to dealing with other species. This minimizes the chances of frictions." "Which just leaves the issue of our technology. What is your opinion about them? Can they be trusted?" "They're leafers, so they don't have much allegiances to earth. While here, they can't broadcast anything they learn, and by the time the plan comes to fruition, who knows what the situation will be. Speaking of which, have you heard anything about it?" "The rumors circulating in the back rooms hint that everything should be ready in a few years. I'm registering my support for whatever decision you make. You're on site, so you're the best person for it." "Thank you councilor." Jeremy reached to end the transmission. "Jeremy, the next time you're in system, come see me." "I will." [b]saying goodbye[/b] Jeremy stood next to the container in which Gral's body lay. It was a cryo unit, to prevent the body from deteriorating, until it was time for the ceremony. The container was etched with signs of Gral's name sake, the Hunter - a stylized animal with an arrow in it. The room was kept dark, in case the deep one sent one of its minion to steal it. Jeremy held a light, knowing that if one of them should appear it would be his duty to defend Gral's body. Outside the light were banners with names, the names of anyone who had been affected by Gral's life. It had started with everyone on the ship, and, as news of his death spread, others had contacted them, to have their names added. Except for the path to the door, the entire room was filled with those banners. Outside the door, two guards stood. The room was never without guards, to keep enemies from taking the body. The Gods had warned that anyone who stood for them, who helped advanced their plan would make enemies, and those enemies might come looking for revenge. Jeremy looked at the container. He'd been here, in this hastily converted cargo bay, every day since he'd been able to pull himself out of his room. He'd been here trying to say something, but he never could. Now this was the last time he'd be alone with his Heart. They had docked and the main station orbiting Kelser, and they were waiting for Gral's family to arrive to take him. "I'm angry Gral," He stated. "I'm angry you died, I'm angry that you wont get to see Samilor grow up. I'm angry they took you from me. I'm angry I couldn't save you." He thought he might cry, but he was cried out. Even the anger he felt was just a low fire. He didn't know if he'd have the energy to go through what was coming. "I know I'll be saying goodbye to you groundside, but I wanted to tell you what you meant to me, Gral. You didn't just save my life, you saved my spirit. I know I didn't always make your life easy, but ultimately, you were always there for me. I will miss you, but you asked me to go on, so I will. I'm not sure how I'll do that, and I know Toom isn't sure he can support me like you've done. Maybe you can find a way to tell him I don't need him to do that. Just having him in my life is helping, and I know he misses you as much as I do." He put a hand on the container. "I'll see you groundside. Your parents should be here soon to take you." He stepped out, momentarily blinded. "Pa?" someone said. Jeremy turned to the voice. "Rudyum!" he went to him and hugged him tightly. "What are you doing here?" "I wanted to make sure you were okay." "You didn't have to wait out here, you could have come in." "I know, but the guards said you liked being alone with him." Jeremy nodded. "Do you want to see him?" "No. I'll say goodbye to dad once we're on Kelser." "How did you get here so fast? We only docked a few hours ago." "Tamirik contacted me as soon as you docked, and I jumped on the first shuttle heading here. How is she? I didn't get a chance to talk to her." "She's taking his death hard, but her mates are supporting her. How about you, I know you'll say goodbye later, but how are you handling this?" "I'm sad he died, that he isn't with you, but as much as I loved him, we were never . . . close." "It's okay. You know he loved you too." Rudyum nodded and wiped his eyes dry. "Why don't we go wait for your grandparents, they should be here soon." * * * * * They all stood outside, in the center of the orchard. Marseforderiven stood before the pyre on which his son lay. The wood was only symbolic now. The body wouldn't be burnt, it was going to be disintegrated by the unit resting under Gral's body. "Thuruksamian made our bodies from the rocks and the soil," he began, looking over those assemble, Gral's immediate family. "He took the air, and gave us breath. He put fire in us, so that we would know passion, and he added water, so that we could express sorrow. He gave us only one command - Live. And my son lived. From a young age, as he ran through these trees, and hurt himself falling out of them. When he threw himself in his studies at the Academy, As he fought to earn his command, and as he defended us. He lived. He rejoiced in what he had, in what he accomplished. And he was fortunate enough to find his Heart. Thuruksamian gave life to my son, and today we will be returning the components back to Him. "We are here to say goodbye to him. Even though his spirit is already with the Gods, through his body, he will hear us, one last time." Marsef motioned for Jeremy to take his place, and once he was standing before Gral's body, he forced himself to look at it. It was the first time he'd seen it, the container had been opaque, and it was damaged. Unlike humans, who prettied up a body, before it was seen, kelsirian left it in the condition it was at death, so that people could see how valiantly death had been fought. Gral's death hadn't been pretty, part of his face was caved it, and fur had been scraped off an arm, and the other had a bone piercing the flesh. He looked up, and forced himself to remember that those injuries were because Gral had been saving lives. "Gral saved my life. Everyone here knows how we met, and what he saved me from, more than once. Before him I didn't know I could live, that I could be happy. And through him I met you, who added to my happiness. Gral said we'd always be together, and while I'm angry he died, I know he didn't break his promise. I have his Heart, I just have to be patient until he come back to claim it." Jeremy stepped down, so someone else could say their goodbyes. Toom held him tightly, and Roumalger hugged them both. Jeremy tried to listen to what the others said, but he found that all he could do, was remember his Heart and the life he lived with him. [b]underhanded[/b] Toom rejoined him as Jeremy was heading to the ship's berth. He'd stepped away to answer his com. They could have stayed groundside, the family had wanted them to. Roumalger had been most insistent, but to Jeremy, he looked too much like Gral. As much as he'd enjoyed having sex with him in the past, and knew that once he'd finished mourning, he would again, right now it would be too much a reminder of who he had lost. So Jeremy had decided to go back home, to the ship, his ship he had to remind himself, still not use to it. Jeremy wrapped an arm around Toom's and rested his head on his shoulder. "All I want to do is curl up in bed with you." That Toom didn't immediately reply made Jeremy look at him. "I wish we could, but we need to talk." "What's wrong?" "Not here. Lets go to your office." * * * * * "Okay, what is wrong?" Jeremy asked, as soon as the door closed behind them. "You're going to want to have a seat." Jeremy sat, constantly looking at Toom. "You're making me really nervous." "Sorry. I was hoping I'd have more time before this happened." He stopped Jeremy from saying anything with a gesture. "You probably didn't know this, but Gral had enemies. I know he was careful to keep this from you." "We're hunters, considering the number of people we've sent to the colonies, we've all made enemies." Toom shook his head. "No, within the fleet. One of the reason Gral spent so much time away from Kelser, is that each time he'd came back, they'd try to take the ship away from him." "Why? How?" "The why can be summed up by: politics, which he hated, the how, by promoting him to a position that wouldn't allow him to captain." Jeremy looked at Toom, thoughtful. "Why do you need to tell me this now?" "Because you've inherited his enemies." Jeremy straightened up. "Why? I haven't done anything to them, who ever they are?" "It isn't really about you, not anymore, it's about the ship. What you need to know is that you're going to be called in to see a military council. You can't refuse to go, since you're not currently on a mission, or on patrol." "I take it, it's too late to leave now." Toom gave him a sad smile. "You wouldn't be able to get authorization to leave the station, let alone get a patrol route assignment." "How do you know this is coming?" "One of my contacts in that chain of orders owed me a favor, and he repaid it by informing me. And now I have to do my best to prepare you for what ever they will try. They can't promote you, so they are going to try something else. The thing to remember, is that they will make it seem like they are doing it for your benefit. Also, they can't force you to give up the captainship, not yet anyway." "Alright, so they have to convince me to step down." "Yes, and if you do it, even temporarily, getting the ship back would be almost impossible." "Do you know who I'm up against? Why they want the ship, and what I can use against them?" Toom eyed him. "What?" "Gral never asked for armament against them." Jeremy nuzzled him. "You need to have your eyes examined, I look nothing like him." Jeremy had to dry his eyes, as did Toom. "The council will be composed of five people. Only one of which may be an ally." * * * * * "Admiral Oturslgirnal, what a pleasure it is to run into you," Jeremy said, sitting at th admiral's table. The restaurant wasn't exactly cheap, and he was happy he wasn't going to be staying. "Captain Jeremy," the admiral said, not too happy to see him. "What is the meaning of this." "Well, if you hadn't spent the last two days dodging me, I wouldn't have to resort to hunting you." "How did you know where to find me? This isn't on any of my calenders." "I'm a hunter, Admiral. We have our ways." The server came next to Jeremy, but he waved him away. "I'm going to make this quick, since I know you're expecting the rest of your party in twenty minutes. I know I'm about to be called for a meeting. I also know who's going to be on that council, and that four of them want my ship. Having found out I inherited my Heart's political enemies, I need to know if I inherited his friends." The admiral looked at him for a moment. "Friends might be too strong a word for what Gralgiranselhelrarvnir and I shared. Our interests were aligned, that's all." "Are they still?" Jeremy studied the male opposite him. "Or are you worried that because I'm human born, my loyalties might waver." The admiral laughed. "I read the reports of what you did when humans tried to abduct your cubs. And the extent you went to to send those humans a message. No, I don't doubt your loyalties." "Then, what do you doubt?" "I've read those reports, all of them. I know the kind of hunter you are. That is supported by you just showing up here at my table. That's what concerns me." Jeremy nodded, and then was silent. "Do you know one of the things Gral loved about me?" Jeremy asked, and waited for the admiral to shake his head. "He loved how determined I was. I'm not afraid to go after what I want, I'm also not afraid of the consequences. That's the kind of hunter I am." It was the admiral's turn to study him. He drank from his glass. "I will not say that I am your friend, not yet. But I am not your enemy, I will give you that." Jeremy nodded, and stood. "Thank you." He left. * * * * * Jeremy entered the council chamber. It was his first time in one of them, on Kelser. It was much smaller than those the federation had. The room only had the curved table, behind which the five people sat, and a space for him to stand, before them. No room for an audience. The only thing that didn't belong, from what he'd read, was that there was a chair placed where he would normally stand. "Why is there a chair?" he asked. The female occupying the center seat smiled at him. "We thought that after what you've been through, you might prefer sitting during this meeting." She was Faraldinortelshel, she was currently on the planetary board of leaders, which meant that she really shouldn't be here, such a meeting was far below her station. She had been behind many of the attempts to take the ship away from Gral in recent years, in the hopes of giving the captainship to her son, who still hadn't achieved it on his own. The ploy was clever, Jeremy had to admit, if he accepted the offer, he would be in a bad position to deny he needed rest. "I'll stand, as is protocol." He pushed the chair with a foot and took it's place. He took a comfortable stance, and held his hands behind his back. "First off," said the male on her right. General Turkamilrir. He, and Snifurnolkah, a politician, sitting to his right, were part of a faction that wanted to take the ship and send it to the combat lines in Alamir, and used its reputation as a moral weapon. "We want to start by offering our sympathies, Gralgiranselhelrarvnir was a great hunter. He will be missed by all, and most profoundly, you." "Thank you." "Having said that," Konserafin, another politician, this one's faction wanted to retire the ship from active duty and turn it into a propaganda piece. How they could think that would help anyone, Jeremy couldn't figure out. "We believe that you might want to stay planet side for some time. Give yourself the time to grieve." "What Konserafin means," Faraldinortelshel added, "is that since you lost your Heart, you haven't had time to pause and take in what has happen. And we would understand if you thought some time under the sun might be helpful. I understand that your Heart's family would be more than happy to take you in while you rested." Jeremy was really happy Toom had warned him. If not for that, their offer would seem reasonable. "I appreciate the offer, but I can't abandon my post. Yes, the lost has hit me, but I'm a hunter. Lost is something we all have to deal with at some point in this work. I also have a hundred and fifty-nine humans on my ship. I wouldn't feel right passing them along to a captain who isn't used to working with them." "The report we read said you had a hundred fifty-seven," she said "That's correct. We had two birth in the month getting here." "Birth? I was under the impression you had rescued Leafers." "We did." "Aren't Leafers humans who have sex with the same gender?" asked Konserafin. "Leafers also include family who support them, as well as anyone who helps them and their cause. Only eighty-three of the rescued are people of have sex with the same gender, but not all of them exclusively. Some are like us, and will have sex with either gender. We currently have three pregnancies in progress." That left them silent for a moment. "There is some concern over your methods," Snifurnolkah said, reading something on a pad. "The event on Herontig Station are disconcerting." "Are you arguing my right to protect my cubs?" "Of course not, but the severity with which you enacted that right . . . Then there's the incident that followed that. You illegally infiltrated a ship and placed a bomb near a military leader on that ship." Jeremy eyed the politician steadily. If he'd hoped to unnerve him by bring him this back up, he was out of luck, Jeremy had come to terms with what he'd done. "Ignoring, for a moment, that it happened years before I was given the captainship. That military leader was human, in our space illegally. I didn't actually harm him, I just gave him a message to pass along. Also, this was already brought up to a council. It was decided that it was up to my captain to punish me." "And what did he do?" "He made me paid for it." Jeremy's tone was glacial. "Well, yes. Still, it does bring up your competency to captain a ship." "I see. So this meeting is about taking my ship away from me." "It isn't your ship," Faraldinortelshel stated. "It is," Jeremy countered. "As per Kelsirian Military protocol, establish by General Liamtirfelselportamir, and approved by the planetary leaders. Upon a captain's death while on duty, the ship will be passed to a person of his choosing. If that person accept the position, he, or she, has two years to demonstrate competency." He paused. "At most, I've been captain for a month. You have no justifications, or rights, to take my ship away." That left them speechless. "I like to read," Jeremy explained. Faraldinortelshel looked to admiral Oturslgirnal. "You haven't said anything admiral, don't you have something to add?" Oturslgirnal looked back at her. "I do. I want to know why this council is obsessed with taking a ship away from the people the Gods have assigned to it." "What?" She exclaimed. "I thought you agreed with me." He snorted. "I did. You said you wanted to make sure the right person captained the Viper's bane. That right person is Jeremy, not your son. You want to try to take the ship away from him? You're going to have to wait two years, but I can promise you, you won't be able to find a reason to take it away. This farce has gone on long enough." He stood. "Captain Jeremy, you are free to go."