It was a day later on Archavia. Almost two, if you were human.

“Now this is a delightful restaurant. You say that Renna Tolemtra is behind this one too?”

“Father, we’ve spent enough time on business,” Aiopr Theracy said. “And it’s funny, this restaurant is almost the opposite of Rixie’s, but you can tell that Renna has a hand in it.”

“All about service,” Ryan agreed. “There are different kinds of good service, but that’s something dad and Renna both saw from the start. Food gets you so far, but people want to go out to eat to be spoiled a bit. You make them want to come back with service.”

To say that Gazia and Gok’ma was different from Rixie’s was quite an understatement; the restaurant they were in was barely four Imperial years old and was already considered one of the finest in Aementos – indeed, one of the finest on Archavia. While Rixie’s focused on a wide clientele, Gazia and Gok’ma catered to the rich, or at least, people who wanted to feel rich.

As Ciseusy Theracy, Aiopr Theracy, and most especially Thyllia Carey were all rich even by the standards of the rich, and as Renna was only too happy to make sure friends would be treated right…well, they were in one of the small private dining rooms, along with Lady Theracy and Aiopr’s wife, Tetai.

Thyllia wanted to focus on her appetizer – an upscale version of tromalak, infused with husta oil, which was cooked perfectly, as spicy as an open flame – but she knew that they were there for a reason. So she forced herself to ask the question.

“Ciseusy…when your father backed Syon against Pryvani…do you know why he did it?”

This was a bit of a non-sequitur, and Theracy had a brief flashback to concerns about the Tarsusses shutting him out again – but there was no anger in the question, and he doubted the Careys would be dining with them only to re-open old wounds.

“I have asked myself that question many times,” he said, ruefully. “It was…well, to say it was a poor choice was an understatement. Honestly, I’m not sure. I do know that he was working with her before the challenge. Syon had made some business connections for him. She roped him into some foolish…no, that understates it. He got involved in illegal activities.”

“Of course,” Thyllia said. “That is her way.”

“Well, yes. You know, one of the reasons we struggled after I took charge of the family and the company was that these contracts…well, I discovered that we were moving a number of things for the Overseer.”

“Like what?” Ryan asked.

“Mostly weapons – their weapons, getting them from the border to Overseer groups. I’m quite certain that’s what led to his death. Stupid of him. He was always trying to build wealth, He wanted his children to be well-off, wanted the family to prosper. Of course, we were, but he was always sure there was a bigger prize on the far side of the planet. Still…it was a ridiculous gamble. Not one he would have taken when he was young.”

“He hadn’t been involved with this kind of thing before he met Syon?” Thyllia asked. Theracy nodded.

“I think my mother’s death unmoored him a bit; he loved her very much, and after she died, I think he started to worry about his own mortality. He began to think that he was running out of time to build up our reserves…but in the end, it almost cost the company, and it cost him his life.”

“Your father is hardly the only Guardian of the Empire to get mixed up in illicit things,” Thyllia said.

“True,” Ciseusi said. “But one of the last things he moved was a shipment of Dunnermac roe. You probably heard about that, thank the Emperor the military caught it.”

“That happened months after he died, though.”

“Oh, yes, but he’d set up the shipment in the last few days before he was shot. And unfortunately, we didn’t discover it until the Imperators showed up. I was fortunate – he’d kept it off the main books, they recognized my father had been freelancing, and he was dead. And this was around the same time as Fand was going down for treason…she took responsibility for it. Still horrific. One last thing my father did for her, I suppose. Why, I’ll never know.”

“She was his lover,” Thyllia said.

* * *

Telusa Theu preferred her reception desk in the legislative building to the small one in One Imperial Square, but she knew better than to complain about that. If you have a desk in the Residence you’ve done about as well as any staffer’s going to do. She was the Chief Receptionist and Scheduler to the Floor Leader, and that meant that when the Floor Leader was working from the Residence, Telusa did too. There were hundreds of people in Tuaut who would kill to be sitting at her desk; its size wasn’t particularly important.

A middle-aged but still-handsome man had joined the Imperator who had arrived first. She’d been waiting in the reception area, talking about nothing important to the Consort. “About time you got here,” the Imperator said; the man sighed.

“You’re lucky I’m even available for this, I had to get Pryvani to Selana, and the Galatea isn’t exactly a minishuttle. Took me half an hour to get back in the berth at Atrius.”

“It’s just a meeting with the Floor Leader,” the Imperator said with a grin.

“Pfft. It’s just Loona fangirling,” the Consort said, rising. “And you’ve both known her since she was a reporter, don’t let her office scare ya. You can let her know everyone’s here, Telusa, thanks so much.”

“Of course, Ms. Maris,” Telusa said, pushing a button. “Madam Floor Leader? Your guests are here.”

“Thanks, Telusa, send them back with Aisell,” Loona’s voice said. Telusa didn’t have to press the button to unlock the door – Aisell could do so with her handprint – but she did anyhow, and Aisell led Rixie and Taron into the residence.

It was just a short walk to the Aerot Room, named for a long-dead Floor Leader who had refurbished this part of the residence into a sitting room over 400 Imperial years before. The furniture all looked so old and expensive that one might hesitate to use it, save for the fact that almost all the pieces were relatively recent reconstructions of the originals, which were spread out among half a dozen museums.

“Madam Floor Leader,” Rixie said, coming to attention and saluting.

“Imperator Rixie,” Loona said, with a grin and a salute. “So. Either you’re Iron Maiden, or you’re hiding her.”

“I’m Iron Maiden,” Rixie said, with a wary nod.

“Ha!” Loona said, reaching out her hand to shake her longtime hero’s wrist. “I’m assuming you and Aisell….”

“Loona,” Aisell sighed, “do you honestly think I didn’t know?”

“I did not think you didn’t, but….”

“My girlfriend is probably stricter about kayfabe than any of us,” Aisell said.

“If I wasn’t, I would have mentioned I’d figured you out a long time before I did,” Loona said. She turned to Taron, and said, “Now you…if you’re here…don’t tell me you play Tol-Bot?”

“Yeah,” Taron said. “I’m the Executioner.”

Loona laughed. “You’re kidding! I hate you!”

“Um….thanks?”

“I don’t hate you, Taron,” Loona said. “But I’ve always cheered against the Executioner, mainly because he always seemed to be crossing paths with Felltree. The ‘24 final was one of the happiest moments of my life.” Loona gave Taron a more sober smile. “And then after the final…well, I still wanted Felltree to beat the Executioner the next time they played. But I was grateful that you backed her, even after she destroyed you. You didn’t hold a grudge. It showed class. And now I know why. It was just as personal for you.”

“Damn right it was,” Taron said. “And that final…you always want to set records. But not like that.”

“I still feel bad about that,” Aisell said.

“Nah, given the news you’d just got…I mean, I’d rather you hadn’t taken it all out on me, but I understand it. I just wish I’d shown up a little better than I did.”

“You didn’t play badly. The Maiden would have lost to Felltree that day,” Rixie said. “Lord Black would have. The Marionette would have. I’ve watched the match more than once – Felltree was as close to perfect as you can get.”

“I appreciate you trying to make me feel better,” Taron said.

“You lost to the greatest Tol-Bot player in history,” Loona said. “Nothing to hang your head about.”

“Wow!” Rixie said. “Putting Felltree over Iron Maiden. And here I thought you liked me.”

“Iron Maiden is a close second, Rixie,” Loona said. “Always has been. Well, at least since I figured out who exactly Felltree was. And if Aisell wasn’t Felltree, you probably still would be. But I’d be a lousy girlfriend if I didn’t have my girlfriend at the top.”

“Hmm,” Aisell said. “It took you several years after you claim you’d figured it out to tell me you liked Felltree better.”

“You hadn’t told me you were Felltree, Ais,” Loona said. “I had to get my revenge somehow. But please, everyone’s standing, come in, sit down. Can I get anyone anything to drink?”

“This is why Loona passed on me for Imperial Hostess,” Aisell said. “I should have said that, Loona, I’m sorry. Everyone, get me your drink orders, I’ll send in the request to the staff.”

“What?” Loona said. “I’d be mildly annoyed if these were people I didn’t know, but these are friends. And old friends at that. And I’m happy to be visited by old friends and Tol-Bot heroes. And Magister-Imperator Rixie, I am definitely going to be asking…a lot of questions. But first, I do believe that there was something more to this than giving me a chance to ask about your play in the ’02 Final.”

“There was, Madam Floor Leader,” Rixie said, settling in. “Praetor-Imperii Lagvul has placed me in command of a special unit, one tasked with approaching battle planning from an outsider’s perspective. The goal is to take people with strong aptitude for strategy who happen to be outside the normal command structure and allow them to come up with new and unusual approaches to possible problems we may face during the war.”

“That’s a very good idea,” Loona said. “And I can’t imagine a better leader of this unit than you. Who are the outsiders going to be?”

“You’re looking at two of them,” Rixie said. “At least, assuming Aisell says yes.”

Loona broke into a wide smile. “You’re recruiting Tol-Bot champions?”

“Not just champions – there are a few players who didn’t reach the championship that still, in my estimation, merit inclusion. But yes, we are. I won’t pretend that we’re better at strategy than the Dodecahedron – we aren’t, that would be silly. But we are all familiar with using what we’re given in unexpected and unusual ways. That’s what we’re trying to do – game plan weird and strange scenarios, because war doesn’t usually go the way that standard wargames suggest it will.”

“I love the idea,” Loona said. “As long as you’re keeping it in perspective, and not making decisions for officers on the ground – I trust you’d do well, Rixie, but you know better than any of us that war isn’t a Tol-Bot match.”

“Maybe not better than you, Madam Floor Leader,” Rixie said. “And my son’s going to be on the front lines, I wouldn’t want us to give him orders. But we can help, and I do very much want Aisell to be a part of this team.”

“Since I can’t really say no, given that there’s at least one member of the Tribe on the Aerti Bass, and a few more have been recruited into the military…what do I have to do?” Aisell said.

“You’ll join the military as a split-square – basically the rank under the usual lowest rank. You can choose Space Exploration Corps or Planetary Defense Corps. It doesn’t matter to me, mostly comes down to whether you think you look better in green or yellow. You’ll be able to resign, and I’ve been given authority to reject any transfer requests, and I most certainly will.”

“Who else is in so far?” Aisell asked.

“Quite a few good players. Dibilique, The Pain, and The Trickster, of course.”

“Obviously. Spirit? The Philosopher?”

“Spirit is hedging but I’ll wear her down. But the Philosopher is in, as is the guy who beat you last time.”

“Well, I’d hope Gravity was in,” Loona said. “There should be a human in the group.”

“I agree, and, Madam Floor Leader…that’s part of what brings me here today,” Rixie said.

Loona sighed, and her smile disappeared. “Yeah…I was afraid you were going to say that.”

* * *

Ciseusi blinked. It was the bluntness of Thyllia’s statement, the direct, calm way she said it, that made it so shocking.

“You must be joking,” he finally said. “Your mother…I knew her, you know, back when she was married to Lord Tarsuss. She was closer to my age than my father’s. And she was quite lovely, and my father…well, your mother married Lord Tarsuss, after all, didn’t she? He was better-looking, younger, and richer. And after he was killed…she could have found someone else.”

“She could have, if she was a decent person, and looking for someone to love, and love her,” Thyllia said. “But that was never something she desired. Syon Fand uses people and discards them when they are of no further use. She needed someone who was wealthy, and lonely, and connected. Someone who could give her the resources she would need to backstop her in her bid to gain control of the Tarsuss Corporation. Love and attraction…that would not have been anything that would have impacted her calculations.”

Lady Theracy appeared taken aback by the bluntness of Thyllia, but Tetai nodded sadly. “I am so sorry. A child deserves a mother who loves them.”

“I ended up with Pryvani,” Thyllia said, with a smile. “And with Alex and Rixie Carey. I’ve done okay.”

“It would make sense,” Ciseusi said, as he began to connect the dots. “My father…he loved my mother deeply. He was never the same after she died. Some people are fine on their own, but my dad, he needed someone in his life. If Syon, pretty as she was back then, showed interest in him….”

“As far as we know,” Thyllia said, “she first approached him in about 2096.”

Ciseusi closed his eyes. “Before she was…well, before she widowed herself. Dad, you idiot.”

“It will sound strange to say…but it isn’t his fault. Syon is very charming, and very manipulative,” Thyllia said. “At least, until you get to really know her. And if you aren’t her daughter…you maybe never do. Pryvani says she hid her true self from Lord Tarsuss until the very end. I’m quite certain that whatever line she used on him, it was utterly convincing.”

Aiopr Theracy had been drinking this all in, but suddenly, her head snapped up. “Lady Carey, you said that Syon approached my grandfather about a year before Lord Tarsuss was killed.”

“Yes,” Thyllia said, quietly.

“You’ve never…you’ve never claimed to be the daughter of Chiyuri Tarsuss,” she said.

“I’m not Chiyuri Tarsuss’s daughter,” Thyllia said.

* * *

“I understand why you want Darren, I really do,” Loona said. “The Marionette is one of the great champions of all time, and Darren…nobody has any doubt about how good he is at strategy. Even if he’d never played a match, he proved himself on Avalon.”

“Madam Floor Leader, I need someone in the group with military experience,” Rixie said. “Someone for whom this isn’t just theoretical, or just a game. And that includes me. I’m an Imperator. I’ve fought, but not on the front lines. Darren’s had to order his soldiers into harm’s way, and during the Bandit Campaign he was right there in harm’s way with them. I need someone in this group who will remember that what we do will affect others on the front line – and that we can’t strategize like these are game pieces we’re moving around.”

“He built weapons without telling anyone.”

“He had good reason. We didn’t tell everyone what we had done to defend Avalon, you know.”

“He built weapons that could have been used against this Empire,” Loona continued. “The Empire I’ve sworn to protect.”

“I’ve sworn to protect it….”

“You’re not its leader, Rixie!” Loona barked.

She looked down for a moment. “If I was still a journalist, even a backbencher, I could understand it, forgive it, get past it. The best I have been able to do is to ask him to move on, quietly. To protect him from prison and disgrace. What he did was treason, Rixie.”

“No,” Aisell said. “No, it was patriotism.”

“Like Hadia,” Loona said.

“Darren’s first duty wasn’t to the Emperor, and it wasn’t to the legislature,” Aisell said. “It was to humanity and Avalon.”

“Avalon was a province.”

“And if the conservatives had managed to regain power under Qorni, how long would that have lasted? What if Forna Qorni invaded Avalon? Seized the humans there as pets? Turned them back into things, instead of people?”

“We would have fought,” Rixie said.

“Exactly. And you say ‘we,’ because you’re Avalonian. But what about the people in Atlantis? And if Avalon fell, what about Earth? I don’t think it would have happened, but Darren had to think that it could. And he was Secretary of Defense for Avalon. He had to be ready to defend his province…and he couldn’t trust that it wouldn’t need defending against us. And Rixie…Darren couldn’t trust us to defend them. He couldn’t trust blindly that Titan allies would be there. Because if he put all his faith in us…we might betray it. Even with the best of intentions.”

“So you’re all telling me to forget everything, pretend it never happened?”

“No,” Taron said. “No, I would never do that. But maybe you could talk to him. Get his side of the story. Heck, he may not even want to join this group. The one thing I know about Darren is that he’ll do whatever he thinks duty compels him to. It’s what he always has done.”

Loona paused at that. When was the last time she’d talked to Darren? Granted, it wasn’t like she had a bunch of free time to chitchat, but still…she’d ignored him at the awards ceremony on New Trantor. She’d talked to him during the battle, of course, and at the meeting afterward, but just during the meeting. And then….

He had been a friend for a very long time. She owed him to hear him out. And not just because his treason had saved Lessy.

Loona sighed. “I’ll talk to him,” she said, finally. “But I won’t make any promises. And it’s not just me that would have to sign off. I’d give Pane Segdi a veto over this too. This is her department.”

“Of course, Madam Floor Leader,” Rixie said.

“And I’m sorry,” Loona said, “that I yelled earlier.”

“Well, you should be,” Taron said. “You’re just running the government of the Empire. I don’t know what you have to be stressed about.”

Loona took a beat before smiling. “Yeah. Exactly. Probably need to take lessons from Pryvani on maintaining one’s cool.”

“That’s like asking Nonah to ask you to write like her,” Aisell said. “You can’t teach genius.”

“I barely registered that as angry,” Rixie added. “Now, I do want to say…I thought you were a really big fan of Tol-Bot? I’ve been led to believe that you would be asking for me to autograph something in blood.”

“I do want to ask about a billion questions, mostly about the 2102 final. And it’s amazing that I’ve known Iron Maiden for decades, I was and am an enormous fan, I’ve watched the ’96 match at least seventy times, but…I mean, you’re Rixie. It’s taking me a minute to wrap my brain around that.”

Rixie smiled, and pulled out her pad. She poked a few buttons, and then said, in a deep, distorted baritone, “Perhaps this will help.”

Loona laughed out loud. “Yes indeed, Iron Maiden. It does.”

* * *

Ciseusi Theracy looked over at the woman across the table. Much younger than him…but now he looked at her just a bit more carefully. He studied her eyes, and his own grew wide.

“Dear Emperor,” he said, quietly. “You’re my sister, aren’t you?”

Thyllia closed her eyes. She felt Ryan’s hand, tiny though it was, on her arm. She took a deep, steadying breath.

“Yes,” she said. “I am.”

“I should hope you aren’t considering a claim on the House of Theracy,” Lady Theracy said.

“Zara, of course she isn’t,” Lord Theracy said. “She’s already been a primate. Her husband’s a primate. She’d be third in line. And she’s richer than I am already. But why…why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Thyllia smiled sadly. “Because I didn’t want you to be concerned that I wanted to make a claim on the House of Theracy,” she said. “I do not. I asked for the discommendation of the House of Fand for a reason, after all. I have disclaimed my right to succeed to the primacy of the House of Tarsuss. When I filed the forms, I made clear that I was disclaiming my right to succeed any house. You don’t need the House of Fand cluttering up your noble house any more than it already does.”

Ciseusi Theracy sighed. “And this is why your sister mistrusted me, then…she did not know whether there was any residual loyalty to your mother…nor whether my father’s actions had been his own, or whether I was party to them.”

“Ciseusi is honest to a fault,” Zara said. “The Overseer was…unhappy, early on, when he broke our contracts. But he did. Between that and the lost business with Tarsuss…you could have asked, you know. Or your sister could have. Indeed, had you told us, we would have been happy to call you a part of this family, and be allied with the House of Tarsuss directly.”

“Zara, you aren’t helping,” Ciseusi barked. He shook his head. “I don’t blame you for questioning us. I just…wish I’d known sooner. Not for the alliances – we’ve rebounded. We’re fine. And I’d worry that I wouldn’t have enough to give Aiopr, but she’s already made her own wealth.”

“When you came to Avalon, back when you were on the committee…you were supposed to be part of the conservative group, the people who opposed emancipation for humans,” Thyllia said. “And you did, I know – I watched the hearings closely, I know you were skeptical. But you came to Atlantis and you saw with your own eyes and heard with your own ears, and you…you believed the truth of what you saw. You believed Ryan and his people were people, you were willing to learn. I didn’t know much before that, other than what the genetic data showed. I didn’t know if you were a good person or a bad one, or just…mundane. I was proud of you after that. And that’s really…all I wanted to tell you. I’m proud of you, and while you don’t have to claim me as a sister, I….”

Ciseusi had heard enough. He put his napkin on the table, stood, and walked over to Thyllia, and bent down to hug her.

“Why in the name of the Emperor would I not want to claim you as my sister?” he said, as his eyes misted over. “I never had a brother or a sister. I always wanted one. And now I have one, and you’re…you’re Thyllia Carey, for frak’s sake!”

“I don’t know what that means,” Thyllia said, but Ryan simply laughed.

“Princess, you are pretty much the only one who doesn’t.”

“And as a bonus, I’m related to you Captain Carey,” Ciseusi said. “The Theracy family has gained a brilliant businesswoman and a hero of the Empire. The only question I have is whether you wish to claim us.” He straightened up, and said, “My…our…father….I can understand if you wish to keep this quiet in the larger world. He was a fool, and if he was fooled by Syon Fand…that doesn’t really make it better.”

“It has taken me a very long time,” Thyllia said, “to reach a point where I could accept being Syon’s daughter. You are an honest and decent man. Your…our…father had to have some redeeming qualities, and the fact that he got suckered by my mother…he wouldn’t be the first, and he wasn’t the last. Lord Tarsuss was a kind and decent man, according to Pryvani. And I’d be completely unsurprised to find she was still making friends in the Imperial dungeon. Your father was a victim…like all of us.”

“He loved his family,” Ciseusi said. “He loved us very much. And if your mother let him know about you….”

“Oh, Gods,” Thyllia said, blinking. “He might have…you think he would have….”

“It may have been about you,” Ciseusi said. “About trying to placate Syon to get to you. Or he may not have known, and thought she actually loved him. We’ll never know for sure. Well…we could ask Syon….”

“She’ll just lie,” Thyllia said. “Whatever she thinks will hurt us most…that’s what she’ll tell us. I know….”

Thyllia sighed. “To your point, Lady Theracy…you are right. We should have resolved this sooner. If I cost your family money – or more to the point, if my mother did – I would be happy to….”

“No, no,” Ciseusi said, shaking his head just a bit in the direction of his wife. “As I said…we have recovered. And I would rather think that he was trying to find a way to bring you home than that he was just thinking with….like I said, Thyllia, he loved his family. And if he knew you were out there, he loved you. And he would have done almost anything to help you, if he knew. Including breaking the law. If that is the reason that he did it…I feel much better about him than I have for several decades.”

“Then let’s believe he did,” Thyllia said. “I want to believe that I had one good parent. Chiyuri Tarsuss was a good man. And if Pevrom Theracy was a good man…maybe what saved Pryvani saved me.”

“I only have one question,” Aiopr said. “It’s for you, Lord Carey.”

“What’s that?”

“Am I going to have to refer to your dad as Uncle Alex when I file my proposal for Azatlia?”

Ryan laughed. “Aiopr, Odin Tarsuss has said he will eat me before he calls me Uncle Ryan. I don’t see why you’d have to give my dad any higher honors. In fact, knowing my dad, I think he’d be disappointed if you called him anything other than Alex.”

“And I will be disappointed,” Ciseusi said, “if you ever refer to me as Lord Theracy again, at least outside of some kind of formal event. My sister, my brother-in-law….”

Thyllia raised her glass. “And more important,” she said, “our friends.”

“Indeed,” Ciseusi said. “However strong the bonds of blood, the bonds of friendship…they are truly the unbreakable ones.”