"Please accept our apologies if we are, in fact, interrupting." Despite his polite tone, Lennaivu sounded like he had been dragged along against his will, meaning that that damned Trurl would do most of the talking.

"Shishi here is just being recalcitrant. Never mind her."

And there was the moment where Trurl couldn't help himself and would impose himself as the center of the conversation. I braced myself.

"Ah, this child continues to be tetchy, even though what we're here for will surely excite her."

For a split second my mind reverted to English and I almost blurted out a 'Whaddya want?'. Just in time I caught myself, moving back to modern, current Mezhained society as it existed on my Greater Self. "Please state your purpose for being here," I said in an obviously forced politeness. Though I let the word 'here' range in meaning from the Command Center to modern, current Mezhained society as it existed on my Greater Self, and anywhere else for that matter.

"Captain Shubesh." I realized he hadn't been speaking to me. That was fine. The less snark the better. "I hear we are having trouble with supplies. In particular Fae Matter and the ordnance for this child's weapons."

Having just finished cleaning and putting away the ritual items, Ragni put the panel back in its place where it diligently became part of the command dais. "That would be correct."

"And every time you inform our current allies of this fact they become mighty dismayed."

Right on the nose. The Kayaalids' tone during our communications with them had become increasingly like begging. More and more they offered to us with the hope that we would remain here for the entire duration of their campaign. They even offered the materials needed for us to construct more missiles and mines. Not that that would help. The necessary Fae Matter had to be brought into proper 'remembrance'. A process that was basically a ritual that scaled up to us Ships.

Ragni gave the panel one last wipe with a cleaning cloth. "I haven't even reviewed their latest offer. There's not much use to it if we have to return to Ikkatfo 4 soon."

"And they would stand to lose their war if we did, correct?"

"Correct."

True again. Eventually the Kayaalids would send in enough reinforcements to overpower the Graedalir separatists, but until that happened we would be stuck in the Ikkatfo 4 system. Waiting that out was an option but nobody knew what the separatists would do in that situation.

"Would you be interested to hear of a way to get more out of our Fae Matter, possibly enough to see this war to its conclusion?"

Ragni rose from her cushion to a standing posture. "I am listening."

"During our Ship's bout of creativity we observed many a peculiarities as you can imagine."

I glared at him. "'Our Ship'? I'm right here, you know? You can't exactly escape me."

"Believe me, if it weren't for the allure of great insights to be gained, I would've walked out the nearest airlock to avoid bickering just like this."

"Shishi." Ragni gave me that look again. "Please let him talk."

I crossed one pair of arms. "Fine, but only because it's you who's asking."

"Quite a relief to see there's someone she listens to."

This wouldn't stand! I already had my mouth open for a fresh retort, nearly losing against impulse. But it turned out there was no need, because Ragni gave that same look to him..

"Dzayiss, what applies to her also applies to you."

And then—for just a moment—that jaw of his wasn't moving. Elsewhere I burst into laughter and nearly gave Nandilukka a heart attack.

"Right you are, ma'am," Trurl said just as I began profusely apologizing to Nandilukka. "Your time shouldn't be wasted with tiffs. Now on to the matter we came here for."

A little glint in Ragni's eyes told me she had done me a favor. I wasn't the only one who thought this foreigner was a boor.

"Something to do with our expenditure of Fae Matter?" Ragni inquired. "And this connects with Shishi's actions during the battle with the Huyiid Integrated Group?"

"It's all predicated on the simple fact that energy is never lost," Trurl began, "It merely becomes unavailable to entities on lower orders of complexity."

This was basic knowledge, at least to me. Vugni were supposedly able to access these higher orders of complexity according to many texts I've read. A point of pride for the Mezhained.

Apprehension began to take hold of Ragni. She cast him a serious look. "What are you implying? She's able to use energy that's useless even to her sisters?"

"All with the help of the Bojanowski-Dzayiss manipulator! This child's Contract Drive has become exceptional even compared to those of her older sisters and cousins."

"And I suppose you're here to assure me that none of this breaks the Treaty?" It was Lennaivu she had turned to.

"Yes," he said. "I have formulated several lines of reasoning that converge on her new capabilities being safe for the realm of sapience."

And then Trurl had to boast. "As I have argued all along! Humanity can finally ascend the winding steps to eternity once more! Let the Haalukishdriyan Order come. We will best with words or firepower, whichever way makes them bow the quickest."

My, my, this ass is quite pompous.

"You mean that little club of academics you used to belong to?" I said. "I've read the intelligence reports. For some reason the longnecks thought they would make a good proxy but they can't even seem to figure out that the intermediate they hired is leaking all of their negotiations to us. Not exactly an institute for great minds."

"And why do you figure I had left those fools?" He had picked up on my veiled insult and was on the defensive. "My second greatest disgrace was thinking they had something resembling a spirit of inquiry."

"If that was the second greatest, then what is the greatest?"

"The belief that I could change that."

I could almost respect that, and definitely would have were he not Trurl.

"Right," Ragni said. "Generations of Mezhained have grown up with stories of the eccentric foreigner who joined the Korremzha mil Vugni, but I'm certain you didn't come all the way here to educate our Ship on them." She was playing up her feelings of agitation and the two illustrious brothers took note. Trurl was Trurl but even he knew not to test someone of her station. "Now if this is all about the rationing of our Fae Matter, I'm willing to listen."

"Not simply rationing," Trurl said. "But achieving more with what we have."

"Enough to defeat the separatists?"

"With ease."

"You are aware of our missile shortage?"

"Acutely!"

"What is the solution you propose for that? I don't know how much Fae Matter you expect to free up for their production, but I can't imagine it will be enough."

"My plan is not to rely on wasteful missile barrages when this child has weapons that can take out whole groups of vessels in one shot."

A collective gasp rolled out of a dozen of my avatars. I looked him square in the eye. "Y-you don't mean— My gravitational beam emitters!?"

He looked back at me, the corner of his mouth raised in a sly half smile. "Well, Captain, even our Ship agrees it's a fine plan."

Leaning back, Ragni gave him a look that was equal parts skepticism and amusement. "Is it just you that is vouching for him, Lennaivu, or are there any others who've looked into his claims, perhaps even performed an oneiromantic session?"

"I'll admit we aren't at that stage yet," the Contract Writer said, "However, my Yudannar is optimistic about Dzayiss's assertions."

"If you and him are in agreement then I see no reason for you to hesitate. Organize an oneiromantic session as soon as you can."

The gaze she gave him was like steel, giving him no opportunity to retreat behind the excuse of performing more calculations before taking any further actions. "Yes, ma'am," was all he could say.

"Of course I will join Lennaivu and Ozhomannel in their session," Trurl said.

Ragni turned her gaze towards him, steel unweakened. "Do you have a Yudannar in mind?"

"Likaimasha will impose herself on me again, I fear."

Then the steel weakened enough for a smile, a little one. "Be ready to accept her as your permanent Yudannar while serving 'this child'."

"You might just be right, ma'am."

"Are you unsure about the prospect, Dzayiss?"

"Yudannar tend to present themselves to me unprovoked," he said. "It abolishes any need for effort on my part, leaving me energy for more important matters. Quite efficient, I must say."

"Careful, some might see that as an excuse for laziness."

As I was looking straight at Trurl I didn't quite see it but Ragni's chiding look was clear in my mind as an unmudded lake. "Did I not warn you too, Shishi? Do you always have to say the worst things when Dzayiss is around?"

"A lot worse things came to mind," I said, mounting my defense. "You should be glad my impulse control is as good as it is." Very nearly I added 'with him around' to that sentence. Impulse control indeed.

"I think we all have our tasks set out for us." Deftly stepping in, Lennaivu showed he was a born mediator. Or was that a skill he had honed from dealing with that capricious Fae Matter? "Let us not waste any more time with that in mind."

"Agreed!" Trurl said that word just a bit too loudly. "We bid you farewell, Captain Shubesh, Ship Shissurna." As he spoke he gave Ragni a polite bow and then me.

I frowned and puffed up my cheek as I watched them leave. Then a pale slender finger poked it, forcing air past my scrunched up lips.

"Does it bother you that much he had the last word?" Ragni asked.

"I could've given him a verbal beating if you had let me."

She didn't bother to call my bluff. "He was subtle enough to get away with it. Void's knife, I'm not even really sure that was an insult or if he was just impatient."

"He insinuated I was a waste of time, he deserves punishment."

"If the Illustrious Siblings were properly part of the navy that would be easy."

"Illustrious or not he should be more respectful. In fact, he isn't 'Illustrious' in any way."

I could hear her stifle a chuckle. "You really are like a child."

"What!? What do you mean by that?? I know I look like this but I'm virtually an adult!"

She laughed behind her hand. "You can say that, but when I compare you to your sisters..."

"My sisters can be real brats, you know!"

"Sure they can be. But not quite like this."

I huffed and stomped my foot. "Before..." My breath faded before I even tried to mouth the words.

Before this life I had lived for 28 years.

Ragni looked at me puzzled, her head slightly tilted. "Hm?"

There was still an amused smile on her face. Clearly she was ready for another round of teasing, not a world shattering truth.

I thought about it. To the Mezhained 28 was barely an adult age; just a short time after one fully grew out their spurs. And then there were my sisters. Even the youngest after me could bridge the gap between the middle ages and Becca's lifetime.

But they can be so childish, I thought. Sure they were, but there was something that had been pried loose from time behind that behavior, like the desire to be seen as mature was pointless and they let their spirits be led by their appearances. And was that the point? To have the spirits of their Ships draw from an eternal youth to counter the Mezhained weariness of dealing with labyrinthine family connections with a playfulness that wiped the slate clean whenever whim demanded.

And yet my sisters were all damn old. Even if I smuggled in those 28 years lived previously, I was positively brand new and a novelty in their lives. Even Ragni was at an age where the humans of Becca's time would be brittle like ancient parchment, but for a Mezhained she was still fairly young.

So there was no point in acting mature.