“Do you promise to be faithful to this woman?” the barrister asked. His weathered eyes read from a text that was older than the office it was spoken in.
“I do,” replied Rebecca Agincourt, holding one hand to her breast as the other lingered upon the tome between her and her wife.
“I do,” Ashley Reed repeated. Her hands were in a similar position as well.
She looked up at her partner, offering her a warm smile. It was the kind of smile that Rebecca had fallen in love with in the first place. The kind of smile that nearly made her tune out the monotonous drone of the barrister as he continued with the ceremony.
“And do you promise to be with each other through sickness and through health?” he asked.
Another pair of promises that would be upheld until the day the duo died.
Rebecca glanced to her side, seeing the two families assembled. Her own mothers and the mothers of her companion. All four were in their dress uniforms. A sea of medals adorned their collective chests. They seemed proud, barely able to restrain their glee at the ceremony that was unfolding before them.
“And do you promise to give each other happiness through the many long days and nights before you?” the barrister asked.
“Hell yes, I do,” Ashley said, chuckling. “I’m an expert at offering happiness.”
One of Ashley’s mothers laughed as well. Though the other, less than discretely elbowed her in the side.
Rebecca couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, I do.”
The barrister nodded, seemingly unphased by Ashley’s little deviation from the norm. “And do you promise to dedicate your love and matrimony to the defense of Thebes?”
The two of them made eye contact, daring the other to say their half first. When neither did, they spoke it with a practiced unison.
“I do.”
The barrister finally allowed himself a smile.
“Then with the gods as our witnesses,” he said. “I hereby declare you wife and wife. Congratulations and welcome to the Sacred Bands, Pilot Third Class Agincourt-Reed and Petty Officer Agincourt-Reed.”
The two of them leaned over the sacred text between them, sharing in a kiss as their mothers proudly cheered them on. Rebecca briefly wondered if some of their energetic cheering came from memories of sharing in a similar ceremony so many years ago. Though such thoughts were quickly whisked away as Ashley placed a hand upon the back of her neck and turned their little peck of affection into a truly matrimonial kiss.
As they eventually, and reluctantly, parted, Ashley gave a beaming smile. Her wife brushed a tender hand across her complexion and cupped her cheek gently.
“We did it, babe,” she whispered.
Rebecca nodded, still a little dumbfounded by her wife’s energy. “Yeah, we did.”
Off to the side, someone cleared their throat and the two new wives quickly turned towards the event’s final guest.
It was a grizzled woman with short red hair that bore many streaks of grey. She was stout but powerful with a left leg made of metal that clinked against the ground as she approached the party. A black eyepatch covered her left eye with a scar providing accents along the top and bottom of it. Like the mothers she wore a uniform though she bore even more medals and commendations.
“Congratulations, you two,” she said. “That was a beautiful ceremony.”
Ashley offered a polite smile. “Thank you, Captain Constantine. And thank you for attending.”
Captain Constantine smirked. “It’s the least I could do. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing two warriors brought together like this.” She nodded. “But don’t let me hold you up for long. Enjoy your honeymoon, I’d say you’ve earned it.”
“Of course, ma’am,” Rebecca said. “And may I say that it’s an honour to be selected for the Bands.”
“You two were a natural choice,” Constantine said. Her tone was diplomatically as she glanced at the highly decorated mothers in attendance. “But don’t let me keep you from your fun. I will see you both in two weeks’ time.”
With that, the wedding party all offered half-hearted salutes. Constantine accepted them with a polite nod and then made her way out of the office, her leg clanking with every step she took.
It was only a moment before things were back in full swing.
All four mothers approached, besieging their daughters with comments about how good the ceremony was and how beautiful they looked together. This went on until the barrister cleared his throat with as much discretion as possible.
The hint was picked up, however, and everybody filed out into the hall.
After all, there were other couples looking to be wed and bureaucracy didn’t have much time to just give away like that. No matter how important the ceremony was to the people present.
The next couple seemed to be a man and a woman, a civilian marriage. Though that was all Rebecca could discern before she was whisked away by the entourage of mothers towards the city hall’s main lobby.
As they progressed, people would stop to look at them. Four women in uniform, with another two who were obviously going to join them shortly. It was quite the sight to behold. The attention was enough to make Rebecca skittish but at least Ashley was there to hold her hand.
Her wife proved to be a safe harbour on a stormy sea.
“That was such a lovely ceremony,” Rebecca’s mother, Charlotte said.
She ruffled her daughter’s poofy black hair.
A bit of red entered Rebecca’s olive-coloured complexion.
“It was nice of Constantine to show up,” Ashley’s own mother, Linda said. She gently rested a hand against her daughter’s pale shoulder. “She tries to make it to all these ceremonies but…”
“She’s getting a little old,” Ashley’s other mother, Teresa chided, chuckling even as her wife glared at her. She then playfully stuck out her tongue. “What? It’s true.”
As they talked, they entered the atrium of Athen’s town hall.
This building was one of the greatest works of architecture on the planet. While most buildings were pre-fabricated in the city, the town hall was done by artisans and experts brought all the way from Earth. Back when such a thing was still possible.
The main lobby was an arena of lime and marble with a gorgeous bronze statue in the middle. It was of a winged woman, holding a bushel of grain to her chest and a sabre afloat above her head. Her hair was flowing and she looked like a goddess of war ready to strike down her foes.
“Always blows me away that Earth used to waste resources on stuff like this,” Teresa said.
Ashley nodded, looking at her mother. “I suppose it was done during better times.”
“At least we’re still here to enjoy it,” Charlotte commented.
Linda cleared her throat. “Our reservation is in a few minutes, ladies.”
Connected to the lobby was a little bistro with a few professional looking bureaucrats coming out and chatting amongst themselves. It seemed a bit more high-class than what Rebecca was used to but if there was ever a day to be treated right, it would be today.
A white sign sat next to the door. It listed today’s specials and Rebecca was pleased to see that they had salmon on the menu. A treat she had not had in many months.
“This place has been here forever,” Ashley said, reaching down and clutching her wife’s hand. “Apparently my moms went here after their ceremony.”
Rebecca nodded.
A polite looking waiter saw their entourage approach, bowing his head.
“And how may I serve such esteemed service women today?” he asked.
Linda smiled at him. “We have a reservation for six. The Agincourt-Reed wedding.”
The waiter looked down and consulted his board. “Ah yes I see you right here. If you’d please follow me.” As they stepped into the restaurant, he looked at them. “Accept my congratulations on the wedding and thank you for your future service.”
Rebecca held her tongue, unsure of what to say.
Thankfully Ashley was there to take over. “You’re very welcome.”
The interior of the restaurant was just as prestigious as the outside with white tables covered with silk cloth. They were set with fine china and cutlery made from real silver. Bureaucrats dressed in expensive clothing chattered amongst themselves, discussing the affairs of the planet and local ventures.
Though as the party passed, these bureaucrats would pause and glance at the six women. Some did so with respects, others with awe, and only the rare few looked at them with indifference.
“Probably not used to seeing this many women in uniform,” Ashley whispered.
Rebecca nodded. “We’re not even in uniform, yet.”
“No,” Ashley admitted, “but our wedding gowns are a pretty clear indicator that we’ll be wearing uniforms soon enough.”
The waiter arrived at their table, motioning towards it. He politely listed off the day’s specials and the occasional menu item that was currently out of stock. Thankfully, they still had salmon which meant that Rebecca was mostly set.
As they took a seat, Teresa flashed her with a teasing smile. “You kind of look a bit like a deer in the headlights today.”
Linda loudly cleared her throat and elbowed her wife in the side.
“It’s fine.” Rebecca held up her hand. “Just not used to getting this much attention is all.”
“You get used to it after a while,” her other mother, Theodora said. “Maybe we’re not quite rock stars but people still look up to us. Reason we can swing reservations at a place like this.”
“I do have a question,” Ashley said.
Charlotte smiled. “And what would that be?”
“What’s it like when you finally get aboard the Themiskyra?” she asked.
“It’s a lot to take in,” Charlotte replied, grabbing her napkin and spreading it out across her lap. “You’ll meet a whole bunch of new people really quickly. However, if you just follow your NCO’s lead than you two will be perfectly fine.”
“And just remember you won’t be the only new couple onboard either,” Teresa said, picking up a fork and inspecting it. “They usually bring on about half a dozen new couples at once. Usually, you’ll become fast friends with your cohort.” She grinned. “Isn’t that right, Theo?”
Theodora nodded. “Honestly the first couple of weeks are just a bunch of lectures and combat sims. The hard stuff doesn’t start until the second or third month.”
“You’ll enjoy piloting though,” Charlotte said, motioning to Ashley. “Nothing like your first time in the cockpit of one of those Spitfires.”
Rebecca reached out and grabbed the wine menu, casually reading it as the conversation flowed around her. Piloting didn’t seem like a topic that was honestly that applicable to her.
“What about you, ‘Beca?” Linda asked.
She stirred, blinking and returning to the moment as she looked at her mother-in-law. “Pardon?”
“Told you,” Teresa teased. “This one is totally like a deer in the headlights.”
Charlotte smiled politely at her daughter. “Was there anything you wanted to know before you headed up?”
“I mean not really.” Rebecca shrugged. “Ashley gets to do all the hard work. I just need to make sure I know how to fire the cannons and launch missiles and what not.”
“It’s not as easy as that,” Linda cut in. “You’re just as responsible for the safety and functionality of the ship as your pilot. Plus, you’ll also be the one who has to do all the pre-flight inspections. Your choices are life and death.”
No pressure.
Theodora nodded. “I’m sure they’ll give you a proper education while you’re up there.” She then hummed as she studied her menu. “Did you find anything that you liked?”
Rebecca blinked again and then realized that she’d been reading the wine menu without actually reading it.
“Not really,” she admitted. “I don’t really know wine.”
Ashley smirked and carefully took the menu from her. “Well how about we get a bottle of white. You liked that chardonnay we had last week. Plus, it’ll go well with your salmon.”
“How did you know I was getting the salmon?” Rebecca asked.
“Because I know how much you like salmon,” Ashley said. “You order it whenever you get a chance.”
“Do I?” Rebecca asked, blinking as she tried to recall this.
Ashley nodded and gave her a playful peck on the cheek. She then looked at the assembled mothers. “Does chardonnay sound good?”
They all gave their affirmation.
“I’ll probably get myself a gin and tonic as well,” Teresa said, flashing a smile.
Linda cocked a brow. “At two in the afternoon.”
“What? We’re on leave?”
Linda’s brow went higher.
“I’ll get something with plenty of carbs in it,” Teresa offered, smiling from ear-to-ear. “You’ll hardly even notice.”
Linda didn’t seem pleased, her brow refusing to budge.
“It’s a special day and we should celebrate,” Teresa interjected, motioning to the other people present. “Right?”
“It’s fine, mom,” Ashley said, snickering as she glanced from one mother to the other. “Teresa is way more interesting with a little gin in her anyways.”
“You were always my favourite daughter,” Teresa said.
“I’m your only daughter,” Ashley retorted, rolling her eyes.
“Been ages since we got a chance to sit down in a proper restaurant,” Linda commented, eying up the menu. “Constantine has been pretty stingy with giving leaves lately.”
“I’ve been reading that things aren’t going particularly well, the system over,” Rebecca said.
Linda nodded. “The Anatolians have been forcing their way past the defense platforms guarding the wormhole. Thankfully there hasn’t been anything that we can’t clean up.” She sighed. “Been keeping us on our toes, though.”
“I don’t know what they honestly expect,” Teresa said, snorting. “Anything bigger than a transport shuttle gets iced by the MAC Guns. Anything smaller will get eaten up by a torpedo from one of our Spitfires. It just feels like a waste of perfectly good spaceships.”
“What are they thinking?” Ashley asked.
Before any of the parents could reply, the waiter returned. A wine was selected, Teresa got her gin, and a couple of appetizers were procured. They were dishes that sounded fancy, though Rebecca had never sampled them before in her life. But if her mothers spoke highly of them then she supposed she’d have to try them out.
Finally, when the waiter slipped away, Theodora looked at Ashley, pointing at her with her fork. “The problem is that none of them really think. There’s exactly one thing that thinks in that entire Empire. And, if it wants our planet, it doesn’t care what it takes to get to it.”
“Nothing’s getting through Thermopylae though,” Teresa said. “That warp gate pretty much funnels everything into our cannons and artillery.
“The perks of being on the end node of a faster-than-light space lane,” Rebecca said.
Theodora nodded. “No way we’d be able to hold otherwise.”
Ashley frowned. “Would be nice to know if we’re the only ones left, though. Surely, we should be trying to slip a couple of recon pods through.”
“Who says we aren’t,” Teresa grumbled.
Theodora cleared her throat and glared at her.
“What?” Teresa asked, holding a hand to her chest. “I’m not saying anything that they won’t find out about in a month into their training. Only thing leakier than the pipes on the Themiskyra is the rumour mill.”
“So, we are attempting to reach out,” Ashley said. She was smiling at the idea. “It’s been decades since we’ve heard anything from any of the other colonies.”
Teresa was about to speak but held her tongue as the other three mothers all glared at her. Instead, she simply sighed and shook her head.
“You’ll find out in a couple of weeks,” she said.
Before the conversation could return to the topic, a few of the wait staff returned, placing down two bottles of wine and a couple trays of rich smelling food. It was enough to make Rebecca’s stomach growl, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
The head waiter offered a polite smile. “I have the pleasure of letting you know that your meal has been covered by another of the guests. They wish to thank you for your service.”
Teresa grinned and looked at the newlyweds. “One of the perks of joining up, kids.”
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