Pai continues to “bite back her spleen,” as Dante said. Thankfully, Alix gets that and tries, too. There’s a little exposition about what the ships they use can do, followed by a very brief visit from someone on-high.

Apologies for the broken update schedule. I am hopefully finally on the mend, now that we’ve an idea what is wrong with me and thus how to treat it. The rest of today should be quiet, so I am going to see if I get these three first to Graf’s home and then at least to St. Peterburg. I appreciate your tolerance.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

The guards at the gate check all of their badges, well, she didn’t have one, and just laughed at them, before being waved on. 

“What is this place?” Graf asked, looking all about.

“We design and build spacecraft here,” Alix answered.  “I told you my dad and brother work here.  All of this is most secret.  The fact that you are here is not normal, I can tell you that.”

“Because he’s with me,” Pai tittered, “and am not what you simplet…er… people, consider normal, either.”

Graf gave her a smile for ongoing restraint.

“The three spacefaring legs of the Polar Alliance have, for the last century, developed their craft in their own ways,” Alix carried on, also trying, and happy to be on a technical subject.  “There is some overlap, what with the Jap designs being very sound, but Rus and imperium ships, especially for interplanetary travel, are very similar.”

Interplanetary travel.  I was fishing a week ago.

“And look at what you caught!” Pai laughed, kissing him.  “Oh!  There’s my ship, just ahead.  A Shcha II.  Small, but fast.”

“Shush-cha?” he tried.

“You will learn Cyrillic.  I’ll teach you,” his Intended said.  “More than she, er, never mind.”

More restraint.

Their van slowed and stopped about a hundred yards from what looked like a small submarine with no conning tower, maybe ten yards in diameter and fifty long, with a rounded nose and tail.  And hovering silently ten feet off the ground.  They got out, and, for once, Pai took Alix’s hand, not his. 

“Get you excited, Rival?”

“Pai?  Please?” Graf warned.

“Interplanetary ships,” he was surprised Alix didn’t jerk her hand away, “have fission reactors.  These little ones are on batteries, like…”

A glance.

“…anyway, on batteries.  They can move insanely fast, Graf.  That’s why the toast-, why Pai said we could be in Russia in two hours.  The only limiting factor is G load.  Anything prolonged beyond six is fatal to humans.”

She lifted their hands.  “Not an issue for you, of course.”

“True.  See ahead?  Our send-off is here.”

“Oh, my God,” Alix muttered.  Uncomprehending, Graf trailed along behind them toward the two men with yet another short woman standing before them.  Mom was nearly six feet, Norse descent.  Are things different here?

The two men had legionary uniforms on with various badges and ribbons he didn’t understand.  Two steps ahead of them was a woman who… Black hair to her shoulders, no, it’s not black.  Purple?  And nothing on her uniform except that gold circlet, up on the center of her chest.  My God!  Her eyes are golden!  Pai’s are so beautiful, these are all that but terrifying!

Stopping ten feet away, Alix dropped Pai’s hand and bent ninety degrees from her waist.  Pai did half that, punching Graf’s shoulder and whispering, “Show some respect!” He bowed like his Intended.

“Rise.  I’ve little time.” Closer, she looks old, young.  Pleased, unhappy.  Who is…?  “I am Empress Aurelia.  This one, Pai, indicates she wants to marry you.  I have no objection and appreciate her reaching out to me.”

The empress took some steps and touched his cheek.

“You’ve no idea about any of this, simple boy?” she asked.

“No, ma’am.”

“My mother, Empress Faustina, and her brother, my father, were modified before and after birth, into the first demi-humans.  By an insane Machine.  That Machine is Pai’s father.” Insane?  “He fine now, but we are a part of the Change.  If you do marry Pai, you will be a part of the Change, too.”

She dropped her hand and moved to Alix, holding her shoulders as she shuddered before her absolute monarch.

“You are now Alix Jones, Spacer First Class.  Show the throne what you can do and we will consider you for leftenant in ten months.  Until then,” she gave Graf and Pai a look, “I want to see what you can do with them.  If you are one of my NCOs, you must play politics.  Start playing now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Alix said, fighting tears.

“Your first order, Jones, is to keep an eye on these two.  Their relationship is unstable and the politics between my imperium and Russia is very complicated.  I want them under your control.”  Aurelia stepped back.  “Clear?”

“Absolutely!” she shouted, tossing her right arm straight up, fingers barely apart.

“Deus vult,” the empress said, turning about and leaving them, the two others following her.

From the heaving sounds Alix was making, she was trying to not throw up.

“Right,” Pai said with a happy smile, “let’s go…”

“Miss Mendrovovitch!” Alix shouted.  “On your ship you are captain.  Here, as you just heard, you, both of you, are subject to me.  Before we take one step, brief me on your plans for the next twelve hours, that I may approve them!”

“Including the time I have Graf inside me?”

“General briefing, only!”

“Fine.  Step one…”