Darren left the Arena feeling ten feet taller than Eyrn as she carried him on her shoulder, the silence between them as thick as it had been since their little tiff shortly after the Reefsman match. This time however, there was a quiet reverence, broken only by the dulling roar of the crowd that faded as Eyrn ducked behind the red velvet rope and disappeared between the thick iron clad door that led to the player dressing rooms. Throngs of excited spectators cheered her on from the other side of the velvet rope, coming to silence as the doors behind her slid shut.

PuppetMaster had scored a massive upset by defeating Deliverance 4-0, an upset nearly as big as her tie of Reefsman. The crowed was on their feet for half the game, and the cheering hardly stopped long enough for the players to hear the commands being repeated to them by the Automatic computer interface.

“You hear that? It’s all for you,” Eyrn said softly.

“Eh, there cheering for you, but I’ll take it,” Darren chuckled. They were cheering for the Puppet Master, which in this instance wasn’t the one who appeared to be holding the strings.

“That was outstanding! You tore through that blockade like nobody’s business. Did you see the look on his face when all 200 of your cargo ships dropped two wings of fighters on her supply line? Darren I haven’t seen you play a space round like that…ever!” Eyrn’s placid reservation was difficult to maintain, beneath it pure exuberance was spilling out like water from a glass.

“Eh, I couldn’t go out with…heh…we couldn’t go out without at least one nice win, now could we?” Darren kept his eyes low, gripping what little slack there was to grab on the tight form fitting dress Eyrn wore so well.

“That was all you Sarge, I just kept the faces smiling and the voices cheering,” Eyrn chuckled, gently removing Darren from her shoulder and placing him on the vanity provided for her in the modest dressing room.

“Nah, having you there helps…good to know I gotcha in my corner.” Darren muttered, removing his jingle bell jester’s cap and tossing it aside.

“You’d do just fine without me.” Eyrn said with a shake of her head, her first order of business was to remove the thin black sticks from her hair, after then picking out a dozen or two hair clips, she ran her fingers through her tightly spun hair and let the dyed black locks fall over her shoulders.

“Like hell I would. Eyrn, I don’t say this enough…but I’m…well….” Darren grumbled and cleared his throat, he had rehearsed this well enough, ‘Eyrn I appreciate all you do for me, thank you’, it sounded so simple, yet his lips refused to cooperate.

“Turn around, no peeking.” Eyrn ordered as she went right to the body sized mirror to remove the chokingly tight dress Tapp had air brushed onto her body.

“Oh…er…sorry.” Darren looked down at his feet, and closed his eyes for good measure. “So, I was saying…I don’t think I say it enough…but…well….”

“Do you remember my ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ present to you?” Eyrn said, rescuing Darren from his hopeless struggle.

“Ya mean back home? Heh, how could I forget?” Darren worked on removing his own clown suit, shaking his head at the less-than-fond memory.

“Took you guys over two days to find me, made a mockery out of you and everyone on base. I don’t think I’d ever seen Major Norton’s face turn that many shades of red!” Eyrn let out an abrupt snorting laugh as she tossed her outfit onto the vanity chair.

“He was ready to chain your ass to a post and throw away the key!” Darren laughed, breaking a smile. “From what I hear, he wouldn’t have been the first to threaten you with that!”

“But he didn’t, did he?” Eyrn asked knowingly.

“He woulda, but I managed to talk him out of it,” Darren boasted.

“Exactly.” Was all Eyrn said next as she slipped on her pants and buttoned them up.

“So, what’s yer point?” Darren asked as he threw his tee shirt on.

“My point is shut up, we’re good, leave it at that.” Eyrn rolled her eyes and tossed a tarp sized undershirt over to Darren, blanketing him in darkness.

“Aww, hell kid! It smells like sweaty brat!” Darren grumbled as he swatted around blindly to escape the white maze of shirt.

After some time Eyrn finished undressing, and carefully removed the shirt from the struggling Darren. The Sarge was greeted with her grinning face as she knelt down level with the table he was standing on.

“That wasn’t very nice, ya lil’ brat!” Darren grumbled. “I was trying to say something kind, ya know!”

“I know.” Eyrn mused, her smile fading into a calm but tranquil lull. “But you don’t have to, I get it…and…it’s okay,” Eyrn nodded, extending her pinky towards Darren. “Were good, we always are.”

Darren chuckled and swatted the finger away, “Yea yea…just don’t throw yer dirty laundry at me no more! Damn well nearly gassed me out!” Darren teased, and after a short laugh from both of them, he smiled and shook his head. “I’m glad yer on my side, kid.”

Eyrn felt a flutter in her chest, it wasn’t very often Darren said things like that, when he did, she was always sure to savor it. “Eh, when I got nothing better to do!”

Darren made a sour face at Eyrn then crossed his arms tightly.

“So, what’s next?” Eyrn asked, crossing her arms and resting her head in them.

Darren shrugged. “We’re not out yet. May as well be, but…well it ain’t over till the fat lady sings. Guess we wait on the results and go from there.”

Eyrn admired Darren’s fighting spirit, there was a frightening few weeks where he had lost it, but now that it was back, everything sort of seemed right with the word. “Okay, well get dressed and lets go, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”

Darren shivered at the unpleasant mental image and scowled. “I really wish you wouldn’t say shit like that Twat…it’s creepy!”

Eryn laughed and stuck her tongue out, showering Darren as she blew him a raspberry.

“I mean it…cuz you damn well know you could and that’s just unsettling!”

“Yeha yeah, just get dressed smart ass.”

***
(We now break from Titan: Exile, to give you an up to date fact accurate update of the 2102, Grand Imperial Tribute! This Tol Bot Minute is brought to you by Bellona, remember, if it doesn’t say Bellona Tol Bot Authentic, then it’s not the real deal!

VAMVAKI NEACHTAIN: Well well, Tol-Bot fans, the second leg of group play is in the books, and this is shaping up to be one wild, unpredictable run to the playdown. I’m Vamvaki Neachtain, joined as always by Papari Ryaki, who competed in this tournament under the name Brother Rho. Papari, we are potentially set up for the wildest finish to group play since the 2034 Tribute, and I don’t need to tell you how that worked out.

PAPARI RYAKI: Vam, it’s been one weird, strange round.

NEACHTAIN: Let’s take a look at where we stand, group by group, as get set for the next match. Over in group one, Iron Maiden didn’t make things easy on herself by losing the first match.

RYAKI: Certainly not the strategy I’d go with, Vam-bam. She would have been better off if she’d won her first match.

NEACHTAIN: That is definitely true, but she’s looked back on form the last two matches; she hasn’t lost a round, and with her sweep of 10 credits, she’s through to the next round. Dibilique drew with Chaos, but of course, Dibilique was already through as group champion. The Group Two champ is The Pain, who couldn’t have played better in the first three matches. He won the top spot without losing a single round, and he’ll play the second-seed out of group three in the second round. But the shocker of the tournament so far is second seed Starchild, who is out of the tournament after losing to the Unranked LerKargh in the third match. We’re joined now by Horot Chaete, who called the match; Horot, what happened to Starchild?

HOROT CHAETE: I’m going to tell you right now, LerKargh has looked far more comfortable than Starchild over the first two matches, and I am not surprised to see him win. Yes, we all know Starchild has won the Tribute back in ‘94, and he has an Aement Invitational Title. But he playedlike he thinks the game owes him a win, while LerKargh has been going out and getting it.

RYAKI: He’s a great guy to drink with, but Hustain ain’t good for the reflexes. And he probably should lay off it before the match.

NEACHTAIN: Okay…well, my producer is signaling she wants to talk to Papari about libel laws, so we’ll be back after this word from our sponsor. You’re watching coverage of the 2102 AMBO Grand Tribute on Imperial Channel 888.

[BREAK]

NEACHTAIN: All right, we’re back, and let’s check out Group Three. The first of the final two matches just wrapped up; Papari Ryaki had to take a short break, so I’m joined in studio by color analyst Chei Obom. Chei, this group is pretty well wrapped up.

OBOM: It is, Vamvaki. but you’ve gotta love that rookie, PuppetMaster, who, you know – she still has a chance, even though it’s not much of one.

NEACHTAIN: It’s not a very good one, but give the lady credit, because she did what she had to do. People are still buzzing about that draw with Reefsman, and this win over Deliverance – well, it was decisive. But with Felltree already through and with Reefsman only needing to take one round to force combat – and nothing against PuppetMaster, but Reefsman has the strength advantage there – I just don’t see it. But that takes nothing away from what she did.

OBOM: Not at all. People ask me all the time why they let rookies in to the Tribute, and this is why. PuppetMaster went toe-to-toe with one of the best players in the game, and made it look easy against a top-twenty player. She’ll get an invite to the Newcomer’s Tourney, as will another member of Group Two – Felltree has been playing very well – and if PuppetMaster wants to stay in the game, I’d say she’s got a future.

NEACHTAIN: You mentioned Felltree – fiftieth-ranked player out of Archavia, she’d been in some minor tournaments before this year but nothing on this level. But she toyed with Deliverance out there, and while she got a bit too cute in the Space round, you could see that she was almost using it for practice. Her match with Reefsman – what do you see coming up?

OBOM: She’s really impressive. I mean, really impressive. The sportsbooks all have Reefsman on 2.9 rounds for their match; I’m telling you, I won’t be surprised if Felltree wins, and the only reason she might not sweep is that once she’s won three rounds, she may not care about the fourth one.

NEACHTAIN: And she gets to face LerKargh, the unranked Ler, in the first round. She has a great chance of getting through to the quarters.

OBOM: Good point, and that is definitely not true for the winner of the next group.

NEACHTAN: Not at all. We know who’s going through from Group Four, we just don’t know in which order. Spirit, as always, looks very good, having won seven of eight rounds, and she’s facing an unranked opponent, The Trickster, who got a little lucky against The Mountain, but luck is part of the game.

OBOM: And wow, what a terrible prize for the winner of that match, because they get Iron Maiden, and that first loss looks a lot less like declining skills and a lot more like her just needing to shake a bit of rust off.

NEACHTAN: You think they’d consider tanking to avoid her?

OBOM: First off, way Dibilique has been playing, you’re not doing much better to face her. And second, I don’t know about The Trickster, but Spirit – she’s a champion. She’s the last player to beat Iron Maiden in the playdowns. She isn’t afraid of Iron Maiden, and I think she’ll take on the defending champion whenever and wherever they end up meeting.

NEACHTAN: You’ve gotta beat the champ to be the champ.

OBOM: Exactly.

NEACHTAN: All right, looking ahead to the final two days – Group Five is anyone’s guess. Hierophant and The Magician are tied atop the group, with The Atom just one point back. The only player out of the running is The Atom. Group Six, The Executioner’s taken that, and he is playing lights-out.

OBOM: Another player who hasn’t dropped a round, and he is playing as good as I’ve ever seen him play.

NEACHTAN: And Triangle-Man and the Masticator will square off with a trip to the playdowns on the line, Triangle-Man has won one more round, so he has the tiebreaker. Group Seven, Daemon has all but locked that up, but the Philosopher has to get at least a tie out of the seventh-ranked player to get through; if she loses and The Shaar beats He Hate Me, we’re looking at combat, at minimum.

OBOM: Yup. And He Hate Me is out, he’s got nothing to play for.

NEACHTAN: And finally, Group Eight – Group Eight is going to be fun.

OBOM: Group Eight is all square – everyone is 1-1. Jorm the Mighty has a slight edge with five rounds won, but it won’t matter if he loses to the Navarchos. Gambler King and Happiness are both right there as well. I gotta tell you, I’m hoping everyone ties in the last round.

NEACHTAN: Wouldn’t that be something? Well, we’ll look at them more closely as we get closer, but for now, we’re going to leave you – when we come back, it’s number 50 Felltree facing third seed Reefsman. For Papari Ryaki, Chei Obom, and Horot Chaete, I’m Vimvaki Neachtan. Good night, everyone. Honest to the Emperor, call him an alcoholic. I mean, come on, Papari, you can’t

[END TRANSCRIPT])

***
“Will you stop moving? It’s hard enough to saw away at these uneven butchered corpses you call nails without the ground moving beneath me!” Tapp grumbled aloud as she straddled Eyrn’s right mddle finger. The small human was leaning forward with a two handed nail file working her way at the tips of Eyrn’s nails, while Bedra sat on a chair in front of Eyrn working away the on the left hand.

“Really guys, you don’t have to do this.” Eyrn blushed, attempting to get used to the peculiar feeling of having her hands played with and handled so personally.

“Relax, haven’t you ever had a manicure before?” Bedra asked as she ran the trimmer gently over Eryn’s overgrown cuticles.

“No.” Eyrn said quietly. “Well, not like this anyhow. It feels funny.” Eyrn of course was referring to having somebody else holding her hand and paying such detailed and accurate attention to them. It was never something Eyrn thought about, when her nails got to long she generally just chewed them down a little and was good to go.

“Well, that much is obvious.” Tapp scoffed and sat up, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow.

“Sweetie, you don’t have to do this, I am perfectly capable of doing this myself. My mother owned a salon, I’ve been doing this since I was 10.” Bedra said, glancing sideways at Tapp.

“I’m not useless, besides you’re sloppy and miss things.” Tapp groused, and went back to work. Tapp secretly enjoyed being included in what normally she would never have even been present for. Bedra and Eyrn talked casually around her, they didn’t act any differently when she was around than when she wasn’t. Tapp felt included, and though she would never lower herself to admitting such a thing, she was grateful to be seen as just one of the girls.

Bedra didn’t respond, but she did grin just a little and shake her head discreetly.

“Oww! Hey that hurt!” Eyrn yelped, resisting the urge to pull the hand Tapp sat on away abruptly.

“It’s because you have man nails, seriously what is this crud under your nails anyway? Is this mud?” Tapp said with a repulsed shiver as she picked away at the gunk with a small tool she had been provided.

“I had a Gokma Square for lunch, it’s not Mud!” Eyrn defended, making a sour face behind Tapp’s back.

“I guess you did, what, did you eat it like a rabid Kipplar?” Tapp snickered as she flung the small bit of debris off onto the table.

Eyrn muttered something under her breath, but was distracted by a sudden warm sensation. “Ohh…oww oww oww! What the hell! Oww!” Eyrn tried to pull her left hand free, but Bedra held her by the wrist.

“It’s grugen wax, it will soften your skin and help take away some of the calluses. Rings of Kelpar Eyrn, you really haven’t had a manicure in all your life, have you?” Bedra said with amazement as she pulled Eyrn’s hand out of the wax bowl.

Eyrn watched in fascination as the clear liquid turned solid before her very eyes, creating a reddish husk over her hand. “Ooooo, cool!”

Tapp rolled her eyes and slid off Eyrn’s middle finger and boarded her forefinger, going back to work without skipping a beat.

“Who would have done it? Ma didn’t exactly have giant nail trimmers, and they never provided me with my own Princess Tapp to do my hair and paint my nails. I made do.” Eyrn shrugged.

Bedra made a pained expression and shook her head quickly. Eyrn responded with a confused tone, but Tapp soon filled in the blanks with a quick and sharp comment.

“The more useful you are, the easier your life is. I learnt to do a lot of favors for my titan masters over the years Eyrn.”

Eyrn grimaced and deflated a bit, she had only meant that as a joke, but hadn’t thought of how hard it may have hit home. “You….don’t have to do anything for me you don’t want to Tapp. I’m sorry….”

“I already said I’m fine, shaka can’t I help out a gorram friend when I want to help out a gorram friend without everyone feeling sorry for me!” Tapp snapped, dismissing Eyrn’s apologetic comment with a groan and a shake of her head.

“There must have been a lot of things you missed out on, not having anyone around…well…like you?” Bedra asked, trying to change the subject.

“Eh, Momma and Poppa kept me busy, they insisted I put myself to use, so I got stuck moving big things all the time, which for a child is tormenting no matter how easy.” Eyrn chuckled.

“You said you lived with the army, right?” Bedra asked, slapping at Eyrn’s wrist. “Stop playing with the wax, let it settle.”

“Oww!” Eyrn whimpered. “Yup, Ft. Vancouver, then to Ft. Snelling, and Ft. Sam Houston, and then after Ma and Pa passed away, Ft. Bliss. That’s when things really got rough, though. There were a few years there where I felt more out of place than I ever had before. With Momma around I never really needed a friend, she was always there to talk to, and helping her out made me feel important.” Eyrn smiled weakly, she had been too young at the time to understand why she had to help her mother out so much, especially near the end of her life, but she understood now, over the years, death would be an old acquaintance she would never quite be able to escape.

“You must have smelled lovely.” Tapp said, with a snickering hint of sarcasm.

Eyrn narrowed her eyes and ever so subtly bucked Tapp off her forefinger, sending the tiny human falling sideways off Eyrn’s hand into the valley between Eyrn’s thumb and forefinger.

“Hey!” Tapp shouted indignant as Eyrn tried her best not to laugh.

“You ought to be careful hon, wouldn’t want to fall….” Eyrn said with a straight and innocent face.

Bedra kept quiet, but her lips did twitch into a very short smile.

“Jerk.” Tapp grumbled as she climbed back aboard Eyrn’s forefinger and went back to work, although much less gently this time.

“I had bathing facilities my whole life, I was a very clean young woman thank you very much!” Eyrn said defensively, and with a certain air of pride.

“Oh, it shows.” Tapp snickered as she pulled out another bit of gunk from under Eyrn’s nails.

Eyrn made a grumpy face and huffed. “Well you’re a lot smaller, of course you’d notice things nobody else would!”

“So, how did you keep busy?” Bedra asked, trying to pull them back on topic.

Eyrn shrugged, turning to face Bedra who was now peeling the hot wax off her hand. “After Ma and Pa died, mostly sticking my nose into other people’s business. Nobody was sure what to do with me. I had no next of kin, nowhere I could go and nobody was sure who should take charge. I think people were a little bit intimidated by me at first. Here was this huge 12-year-old child with no authority figure, limitless power and an insatiable sense of wonder and curiosity, with absolutely nothing to do.” Eyrn took a moment, she smiled faintly and then looked back to Bedra.

“I think they felt bad for me too, I had lost my parents at such a young age, I had nobody really like me to take their roll. At first, things were rough, nobody quite seemed to know what to do with me, it wasn’t until I reached my breaking point one stressful afternoon that they realized they needed to make some changes….”

***

Colonel Jacob Roland Whitaker paced back and forth with all the fervor pitch of an angry bull, “I don’t care how big that brat is, I’ve had enough of these damned tantrums!” the older man stopped and slammed his fist down on the oak desk for emphasis.

Lt. Col. Ryan Davis stood with both hands on the oak desk, leaning forward. The slightly younger man puffed quickly on his old worn black pipe, and exhaled like a chimney before responding to his superior.

“Permission to speak candidly?” Lt. Col. Davis asked

Jacob nodded and waved his hand quickly. Ryan was the only subordinate the colonel allowed to address him on a first name basis, at least in private. Ryan Davis knew he could always speak freely around Colonel Whitaker, but rules were rules. Davis and Whitaker had been friends since the early days of their youth. They grew up together, served the ranks together, and fought like bitter rivals when they didn’t see eye to eye.

“Now just what do you propose we do about it, Jacob?”

“What am I going to do?! What am I going to do….”

“Yes, that’s what I asked! What are you going to do about it?” Lt. Col. Davis’ lips curled into the most modest of grins.

“Maybe some of the kid’s privileges need to be taken away! Maybe we need to restrict her range of movement!” Colonel Jacob stroked his long salt and pepper beard, his voice still a wash of anger and contemplation.

“Jacob! The girl only has 1700 square miles, she’s bored! 75 feet tall or not, she’s still a girl! She can’t even run around without someone telling her she can’t do that, can’t be here, can’t be there. Jacob, girl is going stir-crazy! Something’s gonna snap soon, and mark my words it’s gonna be a lot more than a harmless tantrum!” Davis stood up straight and pulled his pipe from between his lips to refill it.

“Harmless! God all mighty Ryan, she tore the roof off a bunker and threw it across her field! Someone could have been killed!” Colonel Whitaker bellowed, making a wide armed gesture towards the window behind him. “Them horses ain’t gonna shit for weeks.”

Ryan chuckled softly and shook his head. “What do you want from her Jacob? She just lost her mother and her father in the same year. The kids doing her best, but without some kinda direction, without someone to take the reins where Zeb and Marcy left off, she’s just gonna get worse.” Ryan relit the pipe and took another whiff. “Kids need discipline, guidance, they need direction.” The younger man sad sternly.

“Discipline!? Christ man, her finger’s bigger than some men! Who the hell is gonna discipline her? No, she needs to be confined; we need to keep her from harming anyone!” The colonel shook his head and sat down heavy in his chair.

“She ain’t no dog Jacob, you can’t just build a really big cage and shove her in. She’s just a child!”

“If that’s what it takes Ryan…if that’s what it takes.”

Lt. Col. Davis slowly set his pipe down, the rage in his eyes for a moment flashed like a red light, but he calmed himself. “What are we? God damn savages? You look here ya sour old man, that sweet heart’s been on her best behavior for the better part of years! She’s never so much as harmed a hair on nobody’s head! She may be bigger than a barn, but she ain’t no animal! You’re not damn well gonna cage her, tie her up or do nothing of the sort!”

“I am your commanding officer and the man in charge of this base! I will do as I please!” Whitaker bellowed with confidence.

“Then you’ll be the monster, your name will be on that order Jacob, and I will have no part of it!” Ryan slammed his fist down on the desk.

“What would you have me do then?!”

“Treat the girl like a god damn human being! Show some damn mercy, her mother just died, she had a tantrum…get over it!” Ryan calmed a little. “We don’t know what the kid is, but suppose there are more of her out there? Bigger, stronger adults? Now say the come back for her, and find you got her chained to a post like a rabid dog?” Ryan raised a brow. “You want your name on that order now old man?

Colonel Whitaker took a long sullen moment to stare across the desk at LTC Davis. The elder officer ran his hand through his beard once more and then leaned back on his chair, his expression a great deal more diplomatic, but still not wholly convinced. “Now, just how do you propose we do this Lt. Colonel Davis? Hmmm?”

Davis took a drag from his pipe and slowly sat down. “The girl needs a watcher. Someone who can mind her, like a parent.”

“You assume Eyrn will take to a minder.” Jacob said with a challenging grin.

“I think she will.” Davis leaned in closer. “Jacob, I have a grandchild about her age, kids don’t want their parents out of the picture, see, they crave structure, routine. Marcy did a fine job schooling her, she’s sharp as a whip and clever to boot. What she needs is someone to watch her. Keep her out of trouble, someone to give the girl some kind of consistency, ya know?”

“Like a nanny?” Colonel Whitaker said, intrigued.

“More like a teacher…a guide…a caretaker.” Ryan said as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Colonel Whitaker narrowed his eyes deep in thought, just as a knock to his door interrupted them both.

“Yes, enter.”

A young man entered, wearing the single chevron of a private, first class.

“Sir!” the young man said, saluting.

“Private, at ease.” Colonel Whitaker nodded.

“Sir, the girl….” The young man began, however the worsening impact tremors, which everyone on base had grown so used to they almost didn’t notice, revealed better than words could what the nervous looking young man was about to say.

“I believe you were tasked with looking after the child, private?” Lt. Col. Davis said, with a weary tone.

“Sir, yes sir, I tried sir, but…she insisted….” the young man said, running his am over his brow to mop up the sweat.

“Insisted did she?” Davis looked to Whitaker, one brow raised as if to prove a point.

Colonel Whitaker let out a sigh and rested his head in his hands. “And what, pray tell, is she insisting on?”

“She…well…she wants to talk to you…sir.”

“All right, tell her we will be out in just a moment.” Colonel Whitaker looked to Lt. Col. Davis, and then nodded to the private. “Dismissed.”

When the room was clear Ryan looked to Jacob and stood, straightening his uniform. “I’ll leave you to it then, Jacob.”

“The hell you will, Colonel!” Jacob said with a laugh. “You’re better with kids than me, Ryan, I could use your support.”

“She’s nothing to be afraid of Jacob, she’s just a sweet little girl. A very big, but sweet little girl. But Jacob, her sweet disposition is all we have on her. Remember that old friend, because honestly, she’s only going to get bigger and smarter, and I doubt even if we could cage her, that we could build one that would hold her.”

Jacob Whitaker nodded and put his hand on his friends shoulder. “I’m glad I got a young fool like you, to talk the crazy out of me!”

Colonel Whitaker exited the officers’ bunkhouse with Lt. Col. Davis on his heels. Both men stopped beside a large wooden tower that held a platform atop, with a series of stair cases along the side that could be used to reach said platform. It looked almost like a watch tower of old.

“Think you can still make the climb Colonel?” Davis teased. “She doesn’t mind giving older folk a lift you know.”

“God damnit, Davis, I’m fine!” Jacob barked as he began the long climb.

When the men were about half way up, a dark shadow overcast over the whole structure. Through the old wooden support planks they could both make out movement.

“Hi!” A loud voice rang through the area, though it was void of the chipper tone it normally carried.

“Hello sweet-heart.” Lt. Col. Davis said as he picked up his speed.

Colonel Whitaker kept silent, greeting the enormous child with a nod.

Eventually the two men reached the top, which came about chest level to the young girl.

“Didn’t they build this thing to chin level?” Whitaker asked whispering to Davis.

“Growth spurt.” the younger man said and walked to the platform rail. “Eyrn, what brings you all the way out here tonight, hmmm?” Ryan asked, knowing fare well why Eyrn was here. The guilty resourceful look on her freckled face told all tales.

“Hi Lieutenant Colonel Davis.” Eyrn said weakly, wringing her right side braided pig tale in her hand nervously. “I…um….” Eyrn studied her feet, digging the toe of her shoe into the dirt.

“Could it perhaps have anything to do with the incident at the barracks?” Ryan said, with a stern but gentle tone.

Eyrn nodded. “Yea.”

“Is there something you figured you should say?” lieutenant Davis asked, looking to colonel Whitaker with a knowing grin.

Colonel Whitaker, for his part looked uncomfortable, with all the piss and vinegar gone from his aged face.

“Just that I’m sorry.” Eyrn sulked, looking about as sorry as she could, without full out burying her head in the dirt.

“Scared a lot of people back there Eyrn. Made Colonel Whitaker here very cross.” Ryan nodded sagely.

“I…bu…guffaa…well now Colonel, let’s not over react now!” Jacob chuckled, just a bit more nervously now.

“I’m sorry Colonel…I just got upset. I don’t like it when people are mean…I shouldn’t have broken your building.” Eyrn frowned, looking to Colonel Whitaker and crouching enough to bring her eyes level with the two men. “Please don’t be too mad. I can fix it.” Eyrn said with a sweet resourceful voice.

Ryan looked to his old friend, he didn’t say a word, he just grinned wide as could be.

“Well…circumstances…being as they are…and…seeing as how you haven’t done anything like this before…I suppose…so long as you understand there will be consequences…we might be able to look the other way…this time.” the more he talked, the less angry Colonel Jacob Whitaker could feel, as the large brown doe eyes before him sapped the angry from his body.

Before Eyrn could respond, Lieutenant Colonel Davis spoke up. “You understand Eyrn, that you’re a big girl now, you can’t be stomping around whenever somebody makes you angry. Your mother taught you better than that, didn’t she?”

“Yes sir you’re right sir, she did.” Eyrn nodded slowly “But….but it’s just, okay, see I don’t like it when everyone always tells me what to do. I mean not so many people is all. I was moving a pile of wood because Miss Roberta asked me nicely, then I got yelled at by grumpy Miss Agnus because I wasn’t supposed to be messing with things. Then I tried to move them back because I didn’t wanna be a pain, when Mister Andrew and Mister Peter got mad because I put the pile on top of one of their trucks…but I only didn’t see the truck because they moved it there after I took away the wood, but no one was in it so…” Eyrn looked down. “I’m sorry. I got confused, everyone was yelling at me, I don’t like being yelled at, it’s mean. People shouldn’t be mean.”

“I see, so you don’t like it when people shout at you? Hmmm?” Lt. Colonel Davis said aloud, as if to rub it into his friends face.

“Eyrn, child, why were you loitering around the barracks in the first place?” colonel Whitaker asked, stepping forward.

“Eyrn set one hand on the railing, which shook the structure terribly, but it seemed in no danger of toppling. “Oh, well see I was told by Major Thomas ‘to go find something to do, and get my big ol arse out of his hair’, so I went to find Sergeant Lewis but he was busy, so I went to see what the boys over by the target range were doing, but apparently I mess with their aim and that didn’t go well so Tech Sergeant James told me to go get lost, which I can’t because it’s not like Ft. Bliss is that big, and I’ve explored it all.” Eyrn stopped to take a breath. “So I went to the mess hall to see if they needed help, but they didn’t but Miss. Roberta who was outside cleaning potatoes for supper told me to go to the barracks and ‘give those lazy no good fools’ a hand, so I did…and then grumpy Miss Agnus was all….”

“I see, I see…Eyrn…would you mind giving me and Col. Davis a moment to talk? hmmm?” Colonel Whitaker said, the second Eyrn gave him a moment to interrupt.

The moment Eyrn appeared far enough away that it was likely she couldn’t hear her, the two men faced one another, the elder Colonel stroking his beard. “What say you about this then?”

Ltc. Davis sent his old friend a stern questioning look and then turned around, leaning against the railing of the large structure. “Do you trust me old friend?” Ryan asked, looking off to the gigantic girl in the distance.

“You know I do Ryan.” Jacob answered gruffly.

“We need to teach the girl Jacob, a kid needs many things Jacob, rules, structure, and most of all family.” The younger man rapped his knuckled off the wooden rail before turning to his friend with a grin. “I say, we give her just that.”

Colonel Whitaker chuckled and shook his head. “I haven’t the foggiest idea how you’re going to pull that off Lieutenant.” Jacob Whitaker said, looking outward to Eyrn, who was busing herself by skipping and playing in a designated area allotted to her for recreational activities such as running and frolicking. “She really is just like my granddaughter you know.”

Ryan Davis laughed. “Mine too old man, mine too.”

“So what, how are we going to do this?”

“We set up a position, specifically designed to mind the child’s needs, to provide structure to her day, to teach her right from wrong, and useful skills. A Matron, a nanny…a teacher.”

“That will prove problematic Lieutenant, we can’t exactly put an ad in the paper seeking out an applicant.”

“Well, we’ll wire Washington for help. Secretary Davis has been very interested in the girl, he’ll help us to find somebody. We’ll make it happen.” Ryan looked out to Eyrn, who was running in circles as if somebody was chasing after her. “The kid deserves that much Jacob, she puts up with us, all these rules and regulations, least we can do is take care of her. Just like Zeb and Marcy did.”

***

“They started off as women. Civilians at first, then WACs during World War II. Some of them were nice, some of them were mean. But I did what I was told, because life was easier when the people around me were happy. Momma and Poppa taught me I had to be gentle, slow and careful…and they were right. When I got older they stopped bringing in matrons and nannies and the job of Caretaker generally went to a senior noncom on base…..” Eyrn said, with a slight, nostalgic grin on her face.

“I don’t know why you let any of them tell you what to do. You were a lot bigger than them, if that were me I would have been running the show.” Tapp said with a bit of a dreamy voice.

“Not that simple Tapp, they had guns and weapons and there were a whole lot more of them than there were of me. Also, where would I go? What would I do? On base I was fed, I had people to talk to, and I guess most importantly nobody to point and scream at me. I didn’t feel like a freak. Maybe the outside world would have hated me; maybe I would have been some kind of pop culture icon. I don’t know, never got to find out. The brass always told me it was just too dangerous for my own good to go wandering around in the public. I think they really meant it was too dangerous for everyone else if I went walking around in the public. But I like to think there was just a little bit of truth in what they said. Who knows?” Eyrn said, thoughtfully.

“What danger could there could have possibly been to you Eyrn?” Tapp asked, not convinced.

“Plenty.” Bedra said, before Eyrn had a chance to otherwise. “Think about it, mobs of frightened people, a Titan in a world not built for her. Does seem like an awful lonely existence though Eyrn, not having anyone like you around, not knowing what you are, or where you come from.” Bedra smiled sympathetically and rubbed Eyrn’s shoulder.

“Yea.” Tapp responded, in a soft and contemplative voice. “It is.”

Eyrn looked down to Tapp for a moment. While it was true, there had been times back on Earth she had felt quite abandoned and alone, she knew Tapp, and every pet human here in the Empire had it much worse.

“Well, nobody could really force me to do anything I didn’t want to do, and for the most part people treated me with respect. I guess you would though, given the size difference. But I never had to throw my weight around, the soldiers were generally nice to me, from as far back as I can remember. Sometimes some big wig brass would come in and try to bark orders at me or tear a strip out of me for something I did wrong. But I never had to say a thing; the soldiers always came to my defense. They really treated me like one of their own.” Eyrn looked down to Tapp, who had stopped what she was doing, to pay attention to what Eyrn was saying. When she noticed she was being watched however, Tapp quickly went back to filing Eyrn’s nails.

“Hmmm, well…you were nicer than I would have been.” Tapp said with a huff.

“I like to think we are a lot more alike than we are different.” Eyrn said, finally leaning back in her chair to allow herself to enjoy her manicure.

“I wish more titans thought like you.” Tapp said at last.

“So do I.” Eyrn said.

Bedra smiled, though she looked to be quite affected by what Eyrn had said. She nodded, then looked back down to the task at hand. “Maybe they need someone like you to show them why they are wrong, Eyrn?” Bedra said, a little bit nervous, a little bit uneasy, but sure enough with a spark of enlightenment.

Eyrn looked down to Tapp, then over to Bedra. This was not the first time somebody had suggested she do just that, nor would it be the last. Still, it seemed like such a monumental undertaking, no matter how much passion and drive she had to change the universe for the better, she hadn’t the foggiest where to even begin. “If winning people over was a simple as changing a few minds….”

“Well, you changed mine…that’s a start…right?” Bedra said, with a bright and encouraging smile.

Eyrn had suspected for some time that Bedra was changing her mind, her treatment of Tapp and Degu had slowly changed from oppressive and superior, to that of equals. But to actually hear her say it like that, to actually hear those words come out of Bedra’s mouth, brought a dopy and silly looking smile to Eyrn’s face

“Urg, seriously if you two are going to get all gorram mushy I’m going to go watch Tol Bot with the boys!” Tapp groaned, rolling her eyes at the two sappy titans above her, who both broke into laughter at nearly the same time as a result.

***
Degu sat at the edge of the small side table watching the video screen intently, had it in fact been at all possible to get closer, it is likely he would have.

“So you’re moving out, eh?” Darren said, he was quietly watching over the playback of his crushing victory over Deliverance, when strategy and numbers and tactics became too much for even him.

“I’m not sure yet.” Degu replied, without taking his eyes off the screen.

Darren chuckled. “What provoked you to decide this?”

“Dunno, why not?” Degu shrugged, frowning slightly, his attention locked on Felltree, who had won the second round against Reefsman. She already had a win wrapped up in the round, she could literally go to sleep and it wouldn’t matter, but she wasn’t playing like it – she was making a statement. It was very unlikely there would be a draw given the Avian Terror’s early lead in the ground warfare round, which had come third in the rotation.

Darren sniffed thoughtfully. Every time Felltree played Degu was like a lost puppy staring at a rawhide bone. The man was entranced; he hardly looked away the whole round, taking time to pee only thanks to the break between rounds. “Time for a change?”

“A what?” Degu said, after a pause.

“A change, something new, a mix up? Christ, man should I introduce you two? That siren’s got you good Mop-Head!” Darren chuckled, looking back Eyrn’s portable data pad, where he was watching the replay on.

“What are you even talking about?” Degu asked, nearly falling off the end table as Felltree appeared on screen after a rather clever move which appeared to cost Reefsman his hold over an entire region of the map she was struggling to hold on to. While Reefsman was appeared angered and frustrated, Felltree had hardly broken a sweat, and had a stoic, focused game face on that could put out a fire with its icy chill.

“It means you got a crush on her, you’re smitten, taken, what I’m saying Mop-Head is you’re sweet on her.” Darren said, sitting up and adjusting his posture to get more comfortable.

“I am not!” Degu snapped indignant, then quickly attempted to mask his guilt behind an un-fazed face.

“Son, this ain’t my first rodeo, I know when a man’s sweet on a lady, and you got it hotter than a turkey in the oven for this one!” Darren chuckled, leaning back on the screen section of the data pad with his hands behind him to support his weight.

“I don’t know what any of that means, but whatever.” Degu’s face scrunched as he recalled something Darren had recently said, a hint of a hopeful smile tickled his lips and he asked with a much less hostile tone. “Could you…introduce us?”

Darren nearly fell backwards, rolling over in laughter; once he had composed himself he sat up and hopped off the portable Data pad, taking a seat next to Degu. “You know nothing about that lady on the screen, why, for all you know she could be three pickles short of a quart.”

“I…what?” Degu furrowed his brow.

“How do you know she’s even a looker? She could be so ugly under that mask she’d scare a bulldog off a meat truck!” Darren said once more, shrugging as he leaned his elbows on his knees to pay attention to the game before them.

“Stop saying things that don’t make any sense!” Degu sighed in frustration.

“I mean, she may be crazy and ugly and you wouldn’t even know it, after all she does have a mask on. Besides you really wanna get in with one of them? Titans I mean, all the hassle and hubub that would entail?”

“Are you planning my bonding ceremony or something? I just think she’s a good player is all.” Degu rolled his eyes, and then ribbed Darren with his elbow. “The way you’re talking, maybe you’re the one who has a…crush…on her!” Degu laughed.

“Beh, I’ve met lots of good looking titan ladies Degu, but one thing sings true here as it does back home, a pretty face ain’t make no pretty heart. Some of the best looking ladies in the pond here are bat shit crazy. Besides, i like a woman I can hold on to, with a bit of spunk to her maybe, but not someone who’s titties are bigger than a barn!” Darren chuckled, shoving Degu to the side a bit, but not enough to force the man to lose his balance.

Degu remained bewitched in Felltree’s gaze as the camera focused on the Avian themed players sharp blue eyes. “She’s hasn’t turned off, she’s still playing as if her advancement depended on it.”

Darren scoffed lightly and shook his head. “That woman doesn’t know the meaning of wining with tact, she only had one frequency Degu, ferocity. She’s either on or she’s off…there ain’t no middle ground.”

Degu nodded. “She doesn’t need to blast Reefsman, she’s already won, even if they tie. A lot of players would take it easy, there’s no need to tire themselves out, or humiliate their opponent.”

Darren shrugged. “Like I said Degu, Felltree doesn’t play by that game, if she’s going to win; she pulls out all the stops. Guess the girl don’t like to lose, even when she’s already won.”

“You know who else plays like that?” Degu asked, peeking over at Darren.

“Everyone in the top twelve really, but who are ya thinking about?”

“Iron Maiden” Degu nodded.

“Well, there’s a reason the champs are the champs and the rest ain’t nothing. History only remembers the victor Mop-head. It ain’t got no time for the rest.”

“You know, if Felltree pulls wins this round, you’re in combat with Reefsman. And if she pulls off a flawless win, you advance,” Degu said, turning to face Darren.

Darren nodded, the way things were going, it actually seemed possible.

Degu looked back to the screen, he narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, then sat back on his hands. “No, she’s not playing like she has something to prove, she’s playing as if her life depended on it. Look at her, she’s absolutely determined.”

Darren nodded. “Yea.” Darren took a hard look at the screen, and then shook his head. “You’re preaching to the Choir Degu. I’ve felt that fire before, and I have a feeling I’m going to again.”

Darren wasn’t worried about Iron Maiden, the top ranked player as about as far from him as earth was from Archavia. No, his focus was on the one who was quickly earning herself the name ‘The Avian Terror’. He could feel it. Felltree was going to sweep this game, and he would advance because of it. And if he made it to the semis, he would face her once again, and that was exactly what he was afraid of.

“How the hell am I gonna beat her, Degu?” Darren looked determined. Not worried, not afraid, just determined.