“You are not,” mother replies. “Not in this life or the next.”

“Unless she says otherwise,” Dia says, glancing at me, “there isn’t a power in this universe, or any other that can stop me.” Her voice is calm, collected, and forceful. “If you wish to test your will against mine, Ceridwen, you will find yours sorely lacking.”

My heart throbs in my chest, my face flushing as I just stare at her. Mother is much less impressed, her expression one of shock and rage.

“You impudent little witch, do not call me by name,” she spits. “You know not what you’ve done with your selfishness. I know you people from Central live as you will, but we have a way of doing things here.”

Dia tilts her head, the look in her eyes like that of a predator about to launch herself at her prey. “I am fully aware of how things are done here. I just do not care. And why should I? Because your houses will kill one another if your daughter isn’t sold off like a broodmare?” She narrows her eyes. “From what Gráinne has told me about you, the face you wear in public, you operate under the delusion that if you’re smart enough, you can eke out a bit of freedom or power.”

Her words are like a slap to my mother’s face. She looks away, unable to speak for a moment. “Gráinne,” she says, looking me in the eye. “What are you trying to do?”

I’ve seen my mother with many expressions in my life, but fear has never been one of them. Today she looks terrified. Her face contorts with worry. She’s on the verge of tears. I approach her cautiously, sitting down next to her calmly, doing my best to keep my own raging emotions under control. Despite having held a knife to her throat a moment ago, I wrap an arm around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She accepts the embrace.

“I’m living,” I say softly, taking in a shuddering breath. “Did you see the way we kissed?” I glance over at Dia, just watching her stand there with a curious look on her face.

Mother frowns. “Yes,” she says.

“Did you see how happy I looked before father’s men tried to arrest her?” I pull away slightly, sitting up straight. “I love her, mother.”

Mother pinches the bridge of her nose. “You always have been a willful child,” she says, her tone gentle. “I didn’t know.” She sighs, rubbing her hands to her upper arms as if to soothe herself. “Your father is so angry. He thinks this is some stunt.” She looks over towards Dia, her eyes soften. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

Dia gets off her tree. Aoife watches her warily, standing a healthy distance away, rubbing at her wrist. Dia, my beautiful Dia, walks towards my mother and me and takes my hand into hers.

“My intentions are to love her and to marry her.” Her voice cascades with warmth. “It’s my hope that at the very least, you will accept that much.

“Accept it?” Mother asks, scoffing. “It’s not about accepting anything. If it was as easy as accepting that my daughter loves another woman, this wouldn’t even be a conversation. However, the situation isn’t so simple.” She shakes her head, as if to push away the storm that must be raging within. “This is a scandal that might trigger a devastating civil war. Is that really something you are both willing to cause?”

“I’m not starting a war,” I say firmly. “This is not my fault. It’s father and the leaders of the houses that have set these circumstances in motion.” I squeeze Dia’s hand. “Call me selfish if you will, but I mean to live my life, and love who I wish. That is a basic right, one our laws deny to our people. So yes, for myself and the many others like me; for the dozens upon dozens of other injustices that have gone on unchecked, I will use my power to fight.”

Mother shudders. She says nothing for a moment, simply glancing between us as the full gravity of the situation dawns on her. “I understand.”

“Are those guards yours and yours alone?” Dia asks.

Mother looks up at her, surprised. “Yes.”

Dia looks to Aoife. “And her, and the one you sent to kill me?”

Mother nods.

“I have a plan.” Dia runs her hand through her hair, flipping it over her shoulder so that it rests in front of her chest. It’s something she only does when she’s anxious. “House Áine has backed me, but I don’t want any stupid throne. I just love your daughter.” She taps her chin rhythmically, the plan forming in her mind as she speaks. “Announce publicly that you support us. It may force your husband to contradict you, though that will make him look like he’s lost control over his empress, or it will force him to accept the terms. He’ll seethe, of course, but it will buy us all a bit of time, regardless. Your men and very competent assassins will keep you safe here.” She toys with her hair. “You decide. Are you going to stand up for your daughter or not?”

I look at my mother, my breath stuck in my chest. She has always stood by me in her own way, but never like this; never like I have needed her to.

She chortles, looking away. “Forgive me,” she says after a moment of laughter. “I understand now, I think… you, Miss Mirren, have an infectious confidence that makes even me want to cast my lot in with you.” She sighs, placing her hands in her lap. “I didn’t appreciate the way you spoke to me, but I cannot ignore the situation, either. What kind of mother would I be to deny my daughter this?” She looks at me then, reaching out to hold my hand. “Everything I have ever done has been to protect you, to guide you to be strong. I just never imagined how strong you would become… how much you would outgrow me.”

I squeeze her hand, tears forming in my eyes. “Thank you.” What else can I say but that? There are a million words that swirl in my mind, too many to articulate. I squeeze tighter, lean forward, and embrace my mother. “Thank you.”

“What will you both do next?” she asks, returning the embrace. “Surely you don’t intend to stay locked away here at Fianna.”

“I want to get married on Earth,” Dia says. “If you’d like that, Gráinne.”

Wiping away the tears in my eyes, I nod fervently. “Gods, that sounds incredible.”

“Then we’ll go,” she says quickly, flashing me a look to not say more.

“Earth.” I almost can’t believe what I am hearing, that my dream since childhood may come true. There is a part of me that worries this is far too good to be true, but then again, Dia had made me feel that way since the day I met her. If there is a woman alive who will make sure my dream comes to fruition, it’s her.

“And then? You say you don’t want the throne, Dia, and I assume you don’t either.” She looks at me, sighing.

“Can I ask why this is so important?” Dia furrows her brows. “Your husband is pushing eight hundred by now, and was emperor during the Secession War. So, what’s so important about an heir now? Is his health failing?”

Mother shakes her head. “No, nothing like that. The houses do not want an immortal emperor. They feel it stagnates us.”

“And he’s no longer powerful enough to stop them from taking over outright, is he?” Dia asks.

“Correct,” she says. “His power has been waning for decades. Central keeps growing. We lose more and more people as your father tightens his grip on industry and commerce. He won’t admit it, but the Fomorian Armory is dying.”

Hearing this spoken by my mother is quite shocking. I’ve never heard her outright disparage father and his rulership. “Mother, did he marry you specifically for an heir?” I ask an unspoken question I already know the answer to.

She nods.

“But you didn’t give him a son.” I look down. “And for whatever reason, you never had more children.”

“I could not. My pregnancy with you was a difficult one that nearly killed me. In that, I refused to bear another. I am alive at all because I’ve proven myself a useful tool to your father in other ways, and having a daughter was advantageous in some ways.”

“Because he could sell me off to better appease one of the houses who could then put a son on the throne. Father, he… he never cared about me as his child. Not even for a moment, did he?”

“No.”

Moving away from others, I retreat to my personal space and hug my arms around my chest. “Let’s leave as soon as possible,” I say, looking up at Dia. “I do not want to wait until my birthday.” It sickens me to think that they have always seen me as a tool or property. I have always known these things in my heart, but hearing them stated so clearly by my mother cuts deep. “If Quinn and Layla would agree, I would like them to come with us.” I look to Aoife then, her face impassive, but her eyes speak of a terrible sadness deep within. “Please keep mother safe.”

“Of course, Princess,” she says softly. “Your betrothed bested me easily enough, but that will not happen with another. I’d say to stay safe, but you’ve never really needed protection.”

I walk over to her, throwing my arms around her. In all my years, this was the one person who has been with me through all my troubles. “I will come back for you, Aoife,” I whisper in her ear. “I will come back for both of you.”

She hugs me back tightly. “I know. I’ll keep your mother safe until you return.” She pulls away, looking me in the eye. “May the gods guide you safely, Gráinne.”

---

“Oh baby,” I say, putting my face in my hands. “Dia, my child, my darling girl. You are insane.”

“Mother, it’s fine… I think.” She grins at me.

I hate her stupid grins; they always mean trouble. “Even your mom, who supports all your insanity, is going to freak out when she hears what you’ve done. Well… maybe. Perhaps I’m underestimating her.”

“Everything is fine,” she says calmly. “Will you two meet us outside the academy and escort the ship to the gate? I’m missing Earth, and she wants to get there as soon as possible.”

“No, we’re going to leave you to rot while you’re vulnerable in space,” I say, my voice dripping with what I hope is the appropriate amount of sarcasm. “We’ll be there, Dia. We have a daughter-in-law to meet, and we miss you. Stay safe.”

Another of her stupid, aggravating grins. “Love you, mother.”

“Yes, yes, I know. We’ll see you tomorrow. I have some leads on her thanks to the information you’ve dug up that I want to share anyhow. There are a lot of reasons to meet up.”

“Perfection.”

She hangs up the call. I sit there for a moment, gathering myself and my nerves. My daughter did not need to inherit both my brains and her mom’s temperament; she’s an utter monster. Maeve comes into the room, dropping off my perfectly made coffee. I take it from her gratefully, tugging her down to sit next to me on the sofa.

“We’re meeting with Dia and her fiancée tomorrow,” I inform her. “They’re traveling to Earth.”

Maeve chuckles as she sits. “She really didn’t make it three weeks.” She leans close to me, swallowing me up in her larger frame. “We can leave after your coffee. It’s a real time day from here, right?”

“Mmm,” I say behind my mug. “Can’t say I’ll complain about getting off this station. I’m just worried Dia is biting off more than she can chew.” I take a long, long sip of the delicious elixir of wakefulness. “She’s always taken after you with how she is so free with her affections, but this is something else, and the stakes are ridiculous.”

Maeve taps her metal finger to the aluminum can. “They always were,” she says softly. “You know, I thought she’d give it up once she realized how monumental of a task it is. If it were so easy to tear down a corpo-state, Central would have done it already. Yet, the entire sector is in chaos, and not because she destabilized the economy or assassinated a leader, but because she fell in love with the princess.” She laughs a rancorous laugh. “My darling, it’s actually hysterical when I think about it. The Fomorian Armory deserves to implode into a black hole, especially given the reason this is happening.”

I can’t help but chuckle a bit. My wife is right. “It has been chaos since their duel,” I muse. “And what a duel. I understand their connection, seeing and hearing them in that fight. She’s our baby, though, and I just can’t help but worry.” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. I take another sip of my coffee. “But worrying overmuch is useless.”

“Exactly,” Maeve says, running her fingers through my hair. “We have a good lead on her that we can follow up on. Our daughter is getting out of this sector, at least for a while, and we get to meet her partner. All-in-all, things aren’t so bad right now.”

“You always focus on the positives,” I say fondly, leaning on her. “You’re right.” I down the rest of my coffee in three big gulps. I stand up, run my fingers through my hair, and let out a sigh to steady my increasing anxiety. “No time like the present.”

---

The Danu Mk. II is my home away from home. Memories of my childhood come flooding back to me as Gráinne and I get on board. It’s a relatively small cruiser-class vessel that’s well-armed and even better shielded. The mechbay is modestly sized, capable of fitting three mechs with a bit of effort. It’s always comfortably fit the Witchblade and the Phantom Queen, but it’s a bit cramped with the remains of the Bansidhe. The remains of a mech take up a surprising amount of room.

Quinn and Layla walk behind us. I cast a glance back at them. Quinn is nervous, as usual, but Layla is infectiously enthused, her eyes darting around every which, as if she is reverse engineering the ship in her mind.

“Excited?” I ask.

“Gods, yes,” she says. “First of all, this is a gorgeous ship. I love the curves and color she has. Nothing at all like the eldritch, gray nightmares the Armory produces. Also, we’re going to see Central. If it’s half as awful as the propaganda makes it out to be, we might never leave.”

That gets a chuckle out of me. Gráinne looks back at our friends, her eyes screaming out how much she agrees.

“You’d be welcome to,” I tell her. “It is actually that easy. You’d need to do some paperwork to get into the systems, of course, but it’s not difficult or restrictive.”

“Maybe,” Layla says, her smile dampening. “We have our families to think about. It’s not a choice to be made now. Few real time days of travel and a month of visiting; can always sort it out a bit later.”

Gráinne squeezes my arm. The door of the ship seals itself behind us as we enter. I show them to the common area. In it, there is a small kitchen, a round table with chairs tucked in under it, and a sofa in front of a large viewing screen.

Mom is in the kitchen already, gathering ingredients for lunch. “Dia!” She beams at me and the others. As always, she radiates joy and warmth. “Girl, it’s been ages. Get your ass over here.”

Despite being an adult, a very competent one at that, I can’t help cringing when I say, “Mom.” I suppose some things never change. “Let me introduce you to my friends and fiancée first. Where’s mother?”

“Doing last minute checks on the autopilot. You know how she is with the details. She’ll be out in a moment.” She grins at us, crossing her arms over her chest.

“On a scale of one to ten, how is she taking all this? With ten being great and a one being she’ll try to ground me until I’m sixty.”

“Negative one hundred,” mother says, appearing from the hall that leads to the bridge.

Instinctively, I flinch at her tone and fight the urge to retreat into myself. “Hello, mother.”

“Hello, my sweet,” she says warmly. She puts a hand on her hip, looks at me up and down, and then sighs. “Lucky for you, you’re not a child anymore. I have no power to do such things these days.” She smiles. She scans over me and the rest of my group. “I’m your mother and I’m here to support you. Introduce us properly?”

“Hello,” Gráinne says, her voice rather calm under the circumstances. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Likewise,” mother replies.

 “This is Quinn, and Layla. Two of our friends we’ve made at the academy. Truly brilliant engineers, the both of them,” I say.

Mother cocks an eyebrow. “Wonderful to meet you both.”

Layla beams brightly, looking unphased and cheerful. Quinn is warming up; her cheeks have a touch of red but even so she manages to grin.

“Well, it’s a two-hour trip to the Gate and another five to Earth. Let’s have lunch. You can regale me with how the four of you got yourselves into this, and I can share embarrassing photos of Dia as a child. I think that’s the tradition.”

“Mother!”

She snickers, lifting a hand to her mouth delicately.

I sigh, kiss Gráinne on the cheek, and head into the kitchen. “I’ll make lunch.”

“You will not,” my mom says, shaking her head.

“Why not?” I frown. “You came to get us. It’s the least I can do.”

“Because you always try to take care of everyone else before yourself.” She puts a hand on my shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. “You’ve been through a lot recently and I don’t care how impossibly strong you are. I’m your mom. I’m going to make you lunch. Sit.”

My nostrils flare. I turn to see mother laughing. Layla and Quinn exchange smirks. Gráinne is looking at me, her expression so tender. I am utterly defeated.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. “Well, I suppose if you’re all going to bully me, I may as well take it with some grace.”

Everyone laughs. I do too, unable to help myself in the face of such joy.

---

There is a peaceful air on the ship. People are talking and laughing, exchanging looks of joy and comfort. Dia is considerably more at ease than I’ve ever seen her in the time since we met. Is this how family is supposed to be? I watch as Quinn blossoms, eagerly asking Dia’s mother questions about this concept or that theory.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Layla interrupts. “Hold on, how many papers have you written?”

Dia’s mother taps her chin. “You know, I never bothered to count. I’ve lived a long life.”

Layla blinks. “How long is long?”

She shrugs. “Well, I was born before the founding of Central, so a fairly long time. To be honest, I’ve stopped counting the years, but I do always celebrate my birthday.” She preens. “It is my day, after all.”

Layla furrows her brow. “Mrs. Mirren, forgive me for asking this, but who are you? Besides my friend’s mother, I mean.”

She chuckles. “Just call me Viviana or V if you feel comfortable enough.”

Quinn nearly drops her food, a delightfully toasted ham sandwich with fresh greens and melted cheese. “Viviana Mirren?! How did I not put that together before?”

“The very one.”

The girls lean back into their seats. Quinn puts her hand on Layla’s and gives it a squeeze. I smirk.

“You’re famous,” Layla says. “Well, infamous is perhaps the better word. You’ve been holding out on us, Dia.”

“In my defense, she is infamous,” Dia replies. She wraps her arm around me, pulling me into her chest.

I nestle in close to her; she is comfortable and radiates warmth. A sigh of contentment escapes me. This is a good day. I look down at my datapad to check the time. We should leave near-lightspeed in about half an hour. Leaving Fianna was easy enough as house Áine controls that space, but I suspect we may run into trouble once we reach the Slip Gate.

“That explains so much of how the Phantom Queen operates, and why it’s so close to the Framework,” Layla says. “I mean, you invented the Tuatha OS! They built the Framework on your work. This is like meeting a hero… not that I could ever say that in public.”

Viviana laughs mirthfully. “Well, I do appreciate your good judgement. I imagine that I’m public enemy number one amongst Armory scholars and engineers.”

“Completely reviled,” Quinn says, her voice betraying her eagerness. “In part because you’re a woman, I think. Getting a hold of your theorems is very difficult, and even when we could, they were heavily redacted.”

“I’ll send you my full body of work,” Viviana says through a smile. “And make sure to check out the Central Library while we’re on Earth. I’m not the only brilliant mind you can learn from.”

The girls nod eagerly. Quinn in particular looks bright-eyed and bushy tailed, a look I’ve not seen on her. Perhaps, like me, she is feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

“Gods, that would be incredible! Thank you,” Quinn says.

“We’ll definitely visit the library,” Layla says.

“It’s my pleasure,” Viviana replies. “Libraries make for lovely dates.”

I look over towards my friends, their faces are cherry red. Quinn holds Layla’s hand tighter. Layla recovers first, her lips pulled back into a wide grin.

“It will be,” she says.

Dia chuckles softly before kissing the top of my head. She gently lifts me off her shoulder. “Excuse me everyone,” she says, rising to her feet. “I’m going to get into the Phantom before we drop out of NLS.”

I try not to pout, but it’s difficult not to… she was just so comfortable to lean on. Dia sees this, smirks at me as she always does, and leans down to kiss me. It’s a quick kiss, leaving me hungering for more. Later.

“I’ll be back soon.” Dia folds her arms over her chest. “There’s a good chance the way to the Gate will be all clear anyhow. Fianna is the closest port and Brigid assured us at the very least no one was going to launch from there behind our back.”

“I’ll come with you,” Maeve says, getting up as well and stretching out her arms and shoulders. “You and I haven’t had a sortie together in ages. Even if nothing happens, it’ll be fun.”

Dia grins. “Right.”

“Can we also come?” Layla asks. “I mean… any opportunity to prepare the Phantom for launch, and we’d love to see the Witchblade up close, too.”

“You two really love mechs, huh?” Maeve asks, her brow arched. “Alright, let’s go.”

Layla and Quinn rise to their feet quickly, following behind Dia and Maeve. I watch Dia closely, unable to help myself. She’s exquisite. Each stride she makes has an easygoing confidence, she’s a woman who knows she is powerful beyond measure.

“You really love her,” Viviana says, interrupting my thoughts. “Not that I doubted it, but as a mother it’s good to see first-hand.”

My flush creeps up my neck into my cheeks. “Yes.” I straighten up in my chair, folding my arms in my lap. “She’s taken on all my selfish dreams on top of her own goals.” I look down at my hands, pressing my fingers against one another nervously. “I don’t know what to say other than I am grateful. She means everything to me.”

Viviana smiles. She crosses one leg over the other, her piercing gaze studying me closely. “For what it’s worth, she’s strong enough. I fuss because I am a mother, but I know what she’s capable of. In fact, that brings up something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” I ask, my brows furrowed.

“The way you pilot and the Fomorian Framework…” She pauses, pursing her lips. “How attached are you?” She tilts her head to the side, her tone even and calm.

I take a moment to answer, weighing the question carefully. “I feel like an animal in a cage most of the time, but when I am in the Bansidhe, I feel like I can break free. Though I suppose I couldn’t in the end. Dia had to do that for me.”

She nods. It’s a curt, sharp gesture. “Then I have an idea that may be of interest to you,” she says. “Someone designed the Framework poorly off the back of my work. However, I can see the merit in the concept even if the execution is awful.” She sighs. “Dia sent me the reports. The experiments…” She shakes her head in disgust. “I don’t even want to talk about those.”

“I confess, I’m not aware of its development. I–”

“I’m not saying you should be.” She furrows her brow. “But it is grizzly, and as a result, it’s deeply flawed. Ethics in research and development aren’t just about doing the right thing, they also ensure your ultimate results are the best they can be. The way the Framework functions, the way your mech is built, and a few other small things are all holding you back. Dia, in her estimation, thought you were nearly as good as her. After seeing the two of you fight, I’m inclined to agree, but you were never going to get far as you were.”

“That’s flattering to hear, but I think Dia overestimates me.” I shake my head. “I would have been crushed even if we were on equal footing,” I say. “After our battle, I feel rather foolish that I ever thought I could win.”

Viviana smirks. “Her experience would have won out for her in the end, but you weren’t even close to being on equal footing.”

“What did you have in mind? If what you say is true, then I will need these improvements to not be a burden in our upcoming struggle.” I frown then, wrapping my arms around my chest. “I refuse to be a burden.”

“I can modify the Framework,” she says, “improve your flightsuit, and design you a new mech that can better handle the berserker integration. I’ll use the current Bansidhe as a starting point so that the transition feels smooth.”

“Why would you do all this for me?” I can’t help but ask, overwhelmed by the generosity and the willingness to expend so much effort on my behalf. “I am a stranger to you, and no small part of the reason for Dia’s current predicament.”

“No, child,” she says softly. “She’s done that to herself.” Viviana gets out of her seat and embraces me tightly.

I’m stunned for a moment. Eventually, I wrap my arms around her, pressing my face into her shoulder.

“You’re my future daughter-in-law,” she says. Her tone is so matter of fact it brings tears to my eyes, as if showing me love is the easiest thing in the world.

“Thank you.”