This was a gift to VR_Trakowski for the 2017 JA Secret Santa Exchange; it is cross-posted on AO3.

To say that Jupiter had taken on the mantle of Nea-Seraphi with some reluctance was an understatement of the highest caliber.

Advocate Bob had been persistent about expressing his own stand on that matter, and nearly every day was a new attempt to persuade her. From elsewhere in the gyre, there was a nearly constant mistaken assumption that she expected to be so addressed, which led to the nearly constant need to correct whoever was addressing her.

In the end, it had taken Stinger's natural blunt-force personality to get the job done.

She and Caine met the Apinis for breakfast early on a bright autumn morning. Ordinarily a breakfast date would be the furthest thing from Jupiter's to-do-on-purpose list, but on that morning they had a singular purpose: to tour Jupiter's brand-new clipper.

Jupiter had quickly realized that she couldn't remain Earth-bound for long and would need a ship of her own. She had rejected the use of anything of Seraphi's, and had pressed Advocate Bob into her service, with his first mission to facilitate the purchase of a new one. Diomika Tsing, who would captain it, helped her design it. It was smaller than Titus's clipper by a little, more functional by a considerable stretch, less ostentatious by leaps and bounds.

For the last year, Stinger had been on Orous with Kiza, overseeing the ship's production while his daughter attended school. During that time, he began recruiting for and training Jupiter's security force, and Caine had reluctantly left Jupiter under Captain Tsing's watchful eye for a handful of weeks to join him. When the ship was ready to leave Orous, Stinger parked it on the dark side of Earth's moon, and while Jupiter was at work, Caine and Stinger, along with the engineering crew appointed by Captain Tsing, worked to secure it and bring it fully online. A few days ago, the ship had been the chief engineer's blessing, so Stinger went back to Orous to retrieve Kiza for a break from her classes. Captain Tsing and the rest of the crew she'd chosen had arrived the previous day.

"They don't like it, Majesty," Stinger finally blurted, his minuscule sense of delicacy obliterated by a bellyful of Kiza's honey-butter pancakes. "Callin' you Jupiter – makes 'em uncomfortable. It's like callin' your mum by her first name. You don't do it; it's not respectful."

"But Seraphi was her first name," said Jupiter. "No one seemed to have an issue with calling her by her name."

"It was part of her title," he conceded, "but she was a queen for ninety thousand years. Seraphi and Queen may as well be the same word."

"They are, on some planets," interjected Kiza cheerfully, clearing up dishes.

Jupiter rose to join her. "So can we make Jupiter and Queen synonymous?"

"Sure, in about ninety thousand years," offered Stinger, who quickly trailed Jupiter and took the dishes from her hand. Both the words and the action had only elicited a frustrated groan from her Majesty, which made him chuckle. As he guided her back to the kitchen chair and set her down, his hexagon eyes twinkled yellow at her. "It's just a title. Nothin' more than that."

Kiza leaned against the counter with a smile. "If it comforts you, your Majesty, no one in this room would ever call you by that name."

Jupiter sighed and looked up at Stinger. "I guess I should stop fighting it."

"It does appear to be a losing battle, my lady," he replied with a smirk.

Jupiter looked over at Caine, who stood sentry by the kitchen door. He nodded once, indicating his agreement with his former commander.

She pouted, a little. "Fine. We can stop correcting everyone who uses it as a title. But anyone who calls me that to my face will get punched into next week."

Caine's eyes smiled at his queen. "As your Majesty commands. I'll advise your advocate."

"What I'd like to command, if I thought you'd obey, is for you to sit down and eat, for God's sake." She scowled at him, but her heart wasn't really in it, and he knew.

"I'm on duty," he said patiently. "It's against protocol. When Stinger's done stuffing his face, he can take over for me. That is, if he's left anything for anyone else."

"Gods, Caine – sit down and eat. There are two fully-armed ships in orbit, and there's plenty of food." Kiza took a seat across from her father.

"Besides, I want to get up there," added Jupiter. "I can't wait to see it!"

Caine relented and sat down next to Kiza, who handed him a plate so he could serve himself from the platter in the middle of the table.

"I thought we'd see you first thing this morning," she said.

"You don't have any meat to go with this?" complained Caine, as a way to avoid discussion their later-than-expected arrival at the Apini farm.

Stinger grumbled at him. "You can eat a goat later, you hairy great beast. Just get on with it; we're expected in orbit."

Caine applied himself to the polishing-off of two stacks of pancakes while Kiza and Jupiter chatted about what Kiza had been studying. It turned out that there was a class intended to catch people up on the news.

"It's really intended for people who've returned from deep space trips, or splices assigned new jobs. A lot of the reading had to do with your Majesty, of course . . . I tried to look surprised."

Jupiter returned Kiza's wry smile. "What else can you study there?"

"Well, it's a public school, so almost anything. I'm studying a lot of law and policy – seemed the most useful thing I could do starting out. But I also took a class on Botany to fill up some time. And next term I've got some economics and maths classes."

That made Jupiter smile. "I can't wait for you to meet my mom – especially if you like your math classes. She taught applied mathematics at the university in St. Petersburg before I was born."

Kiza blushed a little. "Well it's not my best subject, but I do enjoy it. And I'd be honored to meet your mother."

"Speakin' of your mum," interjected Stinger, "are you sure about tellin' her?"

"Yes," replied Jupiter. "You said yourself that if she didn't react well, we could blank her."

Stinger looked away a moment. "It's not my favorite idea."

"I don't like the idea of blanking her either. I mean, I'm sure there's some kind of brain-frying going on when that happens, not that it's not preferable to remembering how she was kidnapped by Sargorns before she knows what Sargorns are. But I assure you, Aleksa Bolotnikov Jones would prefer an ugly truth over a comfortable lie, any day. Now," declared Jupiter, "I want to see my ship." She stood up and made for the kitchen sink. "Everyone get ready; I'll wash these."

But Caine was behind her before she could turn on the tap, lifting her up and setting her aside so Stinger could take her place.

Once upon a time an 8 year old Jupiter Jones had been in possession of an old Crayola Design Kit for Interiors that allowed her, within the limitations provided, to plan and decorate all the rooms in the house she just knew she and her mother would get, once all the immigration paperwork was straightened out. It was such a tiny thing, but it allowed Jupiter a dream – of something better, of freedom for Mama, and maybe one day that rare smile wouldn't be so rare.

But it was also just fun, letting her imagination run wild like that. The kit was for interior rooms, but when Jupiter used it she'd planned out the whole house, too, on graph paper: a big house, with a pool out back, and a spacious yard, because of course they'd get a dog.

She really had always loved dogs.

Designing her ship had started out fun, but soon enough reality set in, just like it had when she realized that all of that paperwork wasn't going to get straightened out at all, because it didn't exist. At first all she really wanted for herself was a bedroom of her own, a place to do business, and somewhere to look at the stars. But other considerations got in the way of that: It needs to be bigger, your Majesty, because You'll need suites for visiting dignitaries, your Majesty and to defend herself from dignitaries whose intentions weren't the greatest You will, of course, require weapons, your Majesty.

These things started to sound like You weren't born here, Jupiter and You're never gonna get your own house, Jupiter and You're so dumb, Jupiter.

Her response to those things was to tell Vladie to shut his fat fucking mouth. And she promptly got her own washed out with soap. And she stewed for days because Vladie had been cruel to her and yet somehow his mouth hadn't met with the bar of off-brand Lava soap.

None of the planning for her clipper ended with Jupiter (or anyone else) getting her mouth washed out with soap, and while plenty of expletives were uttered, she hadn't felt the need to instruct anyone to shut their fat fucking mouth. But now that she was on it, on this impossible floating mansion in the sky – above the sky – she realized that she now had that house she'd once planned out on graph paper. And she could give her Mama the freedom she deserved.

Her decision to tell Aleksa about being a Space Queen was solidified as she stood on the bridge of her ship and looked down at Earth. She could see North and South America in their entirety and wondered – again – at the beauty of her home planet.

Which was not to say that she wasn't worried about her mother's reaction. It was all more than a little crazy. But Jupiter had realized that if she had any chance of being successful at the Space Queen business, she'd need her mother at her side. She'd need Aleksa's brutal honesty and unconditional love, she'd need someone without an agenda, she'd need a friend. And there was also no chance in hell she could continue to lie to her mother – Aleksa already suspected something fishy.

"She is gonna flip when she sees this."

Next to her, Captain Diomika Tsing smiled. "Does your Majesty intend for her comments to be taken literally?"

Jupiter chuckled. "No. I was just thinking about my mom's reaction to all of this. Flip in the context of any reaction of hers is only dangerous if she's angry."

"Do you think your mother will be angry? I understand you've had to . . . mislead her, for security purposes."

Jupiter barked a laugh and turned to Tsing. "Okay first of all, that is the nicest way anyone's ever called me a liar, and secondly . . . I think she'll be too stunned, at least for a while. And anyway she'd only be mad at me, and maybe Caine. You and the crew are safe."

"Speaking of your mother, Commander Apini informed me that we may soon have her on board, as our first guest," reported the captain. "We've taken the liberty of preparing her suite."

"Oh – awesome, thanks!" Jupiter couldn't help a little smile at the slight widening of Tsing's eyes, even as she dipped her head to acknowledge the praise. Jupiter wasn't sure if it was because of her distinctly un-royal manners, or because she wasn't used to being thanked. "I'm not sure she'll want to go anywhere with us just yet, though. But I am sure she'll want to see the ship, if for no other reason than she'll need some kind of tangible proof."

"Speaking of seeing the ship, I'm sure you'll want to continue the tour Mr. Wise has arranged for you."

"Oh – yes! Sorry, I don't want to keep you. I'll get out of your way."

Tsing bowed her head a little. "Your Majesty is not in the way on the bridge of her own ship."

Jupiter had another inelegant guffaw for the captain. "Well, that's very kind, but I'm sure I'll get myself in some kind of trouble, left unattended. Anyway, Caine and Stinger are probably wondering where I've gotten lost – I'll see you later, Captain." Jupiter twiddled her fingers at the captain, a move she was absolutely certain was not in the least royal, and smiled as she left the bridge.

Caine's tour was more formality than anything. Jupiter wasn't surprised by much, since she'd designed it herself, but it was terribly fun seeing all of her planning come together with a lot of hard work to produce one of the most magnificent structures she'd ever seen. The ship was large enough that it'd taken several hours to tour, with a lunch break wedged in, along with time to peruse the library and spend as long as Jupiter wanted to spend in the observatory – which turned out to be substantial. By the time it was over, she finally understood what the phrase "like a kid on Christmas morning" meant. There were so many new things – ones she'd expected, and little touches that she hadn't. She was dazed, delighted, and utterly charmed by the time Caine led her, finally, into her suite of rooms, where they were alone.

"I presume your Majesty doesn't require an explanation of the functions of these rooms or their equipment," he said with a little smirk, once they were ensconced in the bedroom.

She chuckled, and looked up at him as she pressed her body close to his. "No, I'm good. Although I might still need some help with the space-doors, so you should probably not go far."

His eyebrow raised, and he lowered his mouth to her upturned lips for a kiss. "I do have one more thing," he said, and then he stepped back a little, his chin tucked down and his hands folded neatly behind his back. "If your Majesty will wait here, one moment."

Jupiter smiled excitedly. "Ooh – a surprise!" She clapped her hands and sat down on the divan at the foot of the bed. "I love surprises – the good kind, not the kind that end up with me unconscious being re-dressed by someone I don't know."

He smirked. "In the end, that did work out in your favor."

"Yes – after a lot of chases, explosions, and attempted murders. Of both of us."

"Fair point," he conceded; Jupiter smiled back at him. Caine gestured behind him toward the door. "May I?"

"Please."

Caine nodded, as though he'd been given an order, and turned crisply to leave the room. A moment or two later, not even enough time for Jupiter to have gotten comfortable, she heard the door to her suite swish open and closed, and he was back.

He had a ghost of a smile. And in his left arm, which was curled tightly against his chest, he had a ball of fluff; a tiny, muffled mew gave it away as some kind of animal.

"Oh my gosh!" Jupiter jumped up, her smile beatific.

Caine uncurled his arm, and the ball of fluff was revealed to be a tiny kitten, black with white speckling, and a puff of gold on its chest. The tip of its tail and its long ear tufts, which camouflaged its backwards-curling horns, were white. It mewled and yawned and opened its round turquoise eyes, and Caine presented it to Jupiter, its ribcage resting in the palm of one hand. With an affectionate murmur, she reached out to accept the kitten, and Caine transferred it to her.

"She's a capra felid, originally from Ibex Prime," he said. "Mind the horns, your Majesty."

Jupiter laughed with delight as she cuddled the kitten. "You got me a space cat!"

Caine's cheeks colored; she was pleased, and there wasn't much he liked better than pleasing her. "I was doing some reading on naval traditions on Earth, since this will be her first fully-functional spacecraft, and that's really the only equivalent. According to what I read, it's customary to have a cat on board, mostly to control vermin." He shrugged a little, uncertain. "I don't think we'll have a vermin problem but I thought you might like her anyway. I also read that pets can lower stress."

The kitten mewled again as she made herself comfortable with Jupiter. Caine folded his hands behind himself again, and simply observed Jupiter as she looked over the cat. Had Jupiter looked up, she'd have seen his face awash in adoration.

Jupiter scratched behind the kitten's ears a little. "Holy crap, she's adorable! And look at these ears! She's so fluffy – and apparently dangerous." The kitten yawned again, and burrowed into Jupiter's arms. "And oh, wow – those are some teeth. Okay. Don't piss off the cat."

The cat had settled, and started to purr. Caine could relate – Jupiter's fingertips working on his skull had a similar effect on him, only he didn't purr. He smirked a little. "One does need to remember that the horns are for defensive purposes."

"Does she have a name?"

Caine shook his head. "She was a stray," he replied. "Stinger and I saw her every day when we went back and forth to the shipyard on Orous."

Jupiter cuddled the kitten. "You need a name, little kitty. I like Loki, for the horns. But I also like Minerva for a cat name. Ooh, or maybe a punny name, like Claudia." She looked up at Caine, making a scratching motion with her hand, trying to explain the pun. "Get it? Clawdia?"

She laughed at herself when Caine could only return an utterly bemused expression. "Okay, so maybe no puns. I'll have to think about it. Maybe something more space-like." She paused in her petting and scratching to touch Caine's cheek, and pull him down for a kiss. "Thank you."

The tips of his ears burned bright. "My pleasure, your Majesty."

Jupiter's smile widened. "It will be, later," she said; Caine's soft chuckle, bright cheeks, and bowed head made her laugh out loud.

For the remainder of the day, the kitten followed Jupiter everywhere. At dinner, where the kitten had curled up at Jupiter's feet, Captain Tsing made a comment that the newest addition to the royal entourage was like one of the moons of Jupiter (the planet), and Jupiter (the Space Queen) thought it was fitting.

That evening Jupiter cuddled the cat as she sprawled on her new space-bed waiting for Caine. "I'm going to guess you're like most cats and don't care what I call you," she mused. The kitten purred in agreement and bumped Jupiter's head with her own.

"Ouch – okay, can't forget about those horns."

The sound of the swishing door announced Caine's arrival a moment later, and he entered the bedroom with a satisfied tilt to his lips. "You're getting along, I see."

"She's so teeny," remarked Jupiter. "How old do you think she is? How big's she gonna get?"

"I had Dr. Wu inspect her when I brought her aboard before leaving Orous." At Jupiter's surprised look, he tilted his head. "You didn't think I'd bring you an infected animal as a gift?"

She snorted; the kitten swatted at her chin with her tiny paw. "No, of course not. But Dr. Wu is hardly a veterinarian."

"She's capable of tending to the health of any living being," replied Caine. "It only took a moment to scan her. She's perfectly healthy-"

"Of course."

"And about six months old."

"Wow, that old already? I'd have thought she was much younger."

Caine sat down on the divan at the foot of the bed to admire his queen and her kitten. "Capra felids are slow to mature. She'll be full grown in about two and a half years." He leaned closer, propping himself up on an elbow.

"That long?" queried Jupiter.

He nodded. "If my research is correct she'll be about the size of one of Earth's large-breed felines."

She leaned closer to him, her surprise evident. "Like what? A Maine Coon? Or like a lynx?"

Caine held her curious, happy eyes for a moment. "If your Majesty is familiar with the Siberian tiger," he said, his own eyes belying his feelings, "that would be the best comparison."

This both surprised and delighted her all over again. "She'll get that big?"

Caine nodded.

Jupiter dug her nose into the kitten's fur and laughed. "First of all – holy crap, Caine, you went to the trouble of not just researching naval traditions, but also which animal on Earth I could most closely relate a space cat with. I am stunned and flattered and I guarantee you are getting all kinds of laid tonight."

Slightly embarrassed, Caine dropped his head again, for a moment, and when he looked up again there was the almost-smile he smiled when he was really happy. She leaned in and pecked his lips.

"But also – this blows my mind. I get my dream house, but it's a spaceship. And I get my dog, but it's a space cat. With horns. That's as big as a freakin' tiger."

"Would your Majesty prefer a tiger?"

"Oh my gosh – a year and a half ago, I'd have traded Vladie for one in less than a heartbeat. But now? Who wouldn't want a giant horned cat?"

"They're not popular with the Sargorns." Caine raised a brow.

This only made Jupiter laugh more. "She's a guard cat! A horned space guard cat!"

The guard cat in question rose and stretched as her mistress laughed, and meandered across the bed to consider Caine. She lowered her head and bumped his chin with her horns gently as she walked underneath it in a circle, and then pawed his chin. Caine tilted his head toward hers, and she leaned forward to lick at his cheek.

Jupiter smiled. "She likes you."

"We made friends almost immediately," he reported. "Have you decided on a name for her?"

"Callista," said Jupiter.

"Captain Tsing's suggestion."

"Yep." Jupiter shifted her glance from the cat up to Caine's face. "She's really beautiful, Caine. Thank you, again. It was so thoughtful of you."

The tips of his ears turned bright pink, and he met her eyes. "It was nothing, your Majesty. Not even much of a gift – I merely picked her up off the street."

She tilted her head, and her eyes softened. "Caine." It was almost admonishing, the way she said his name. Callista bumped her head with his chin again, as though echoing her mistress's sentiments.

"Jupiter?"

"So the cat research, that was nothing? All the reading and the time you spent looking into traditions, that was nothing? And I'm going to guess that space cats aren't the only kind of stray animal on Orous? And I'm also going to assume you know that I'd prefer giving a stray animal a home over . . . other options?" For all she knew, she could walk into a space pet store and design her own cat. Or fish. Or an actual cat-fish.

He held her eyes for a long minute, trying to decide on what to say to her. "It was my pleasure," he decided on, an echo of his earlier sentiments. "You've given me so much, Jupiter. Anything that pleases you is what pleases me."

She reached out and stroked Caine's face, a smile on her lips that was almost starting to hurt. She pulled him close to kiss his lips gently, trying to convey all of her thanks and adoration and appreciation into her movements, knowing that of anyone in the universe, Caine was uniquely qualified to understand.

When she broke the kiss, their eyes met again, and Jupiter's smile and gaze had turned a little wicked. "It would please me," she murmured, "if you would please me."

Caine's eyes darkened, and his teeth flashed when he grinned. "Of course, your Majesty."