Vella had frequently gone through the Inkopolis docks whenever she… corresponded with Marsh. Early in the morning it was often busy as the boat crews worked to prepare their ships for new seasons, conducted maintenance, and other routine tasks. Never had she seen it quite as busy and frantic as this, however.

Vella stepped aside as several crewmen ran by her carrying large tools. A truck was parked on the dock next to one of the fishing boats moored just behind the Salty Maiden. She even spotted Captain Hooker working to get something loose on the boat's bow section. She spotted Marsh standing on the back of the truck carrying large steel rods with a barbed arrowhead. Each one was longer than he was tall.

"What are you doing?"

Marsh paused and looked at her. "No time to explain. We've got to hurry and get these harpoons loaded." He put the one he was carrying into the box and gestured to the bow of the boat. "Dad's helpin' them get the cannon off. Once it is, it's going on the truck next."

Vella hurried around to the other side of the truck and started handing up the harpoons to him, though they proved heavy.

"What is a harpoon?" She asked.

"That's what these things are called. We use 'em for huntin' giant molas, huge fish that migrate at certain times of year. They're too big to catch in a net so you gotta' harpoon 'em with that." He gestured to the bow of the boat again and now Vella could see the cannon. A large steel barrel on a heavy steel mount bolted to the deck of the ship, with thick tubes connected to large cylindrical canisters below the firing barrel.

"And it shoots these?" She handed him another of the harpoons.

"Yup. It's tied to the ship when they shoot it and the barb gets stuck in the fish so they can hold onto it and it doesn't sink, or stops it from getting away if it doesn't kill them with the first shot."

Vella felt uneasy. "It is a weapon?"

Marsh laughed. "Only against fish. Doesn't work so good against people."

Vella handed him another. "Why not?"

"Cause they're not very accurate for one thing. They also take a long time to reload if you don't have enough air capacity to shoot more than one shot, and they don't shoot very far. Captain Bates said the longest anyone's been able to harpoon a fish, as far as he knows, is about fifty metres. Course, if more of the fish came out of the water when feeding it would probably be easier."

Vella nodded. "And why is everyone so excited about the removal of this harpoon cannon?"

Marsh flashed grey. "The Guard said they wanted every harpoon cannon they could get a hold of. They even offered to pay a rental fee and full compensation if they were damaged or lost in some way."

Vella looked at the cannon as they manoeuvred a crane to transfer it from the boat. "But why? It does not sound very useful unless they also want to hunt fish with them. They do not look mobile enough to be useful in combat."

Marsh spread his arms. "No idea. Nobody knows exactly, except maybe Dad. He got called in early this monrin' and when he came back he started spreading the word about needing every harpoon and cannon we could give 'em. Good thing it's out of season for giant molas."

"But if they are not using them for a weapon, what could they be using them for?"

"Your guess is as good as anyone else's."

—-

Avrika listened attentively as the Lord of Infrastructure read out his report to the Ravalda. She did her best not to look at Callie who was standing next to her. It had been just over a week since she and Ambassador Jellison had their first discussion and just two days since they had come to an initial agreement.

"And we have just finished one of the docks, which should be offloading the first ship at this very moment."

Lord Bodov bowed, looking very pleased with himself, before resuming his seat. Octavia thanked him with a nod.

"Ambassador Betanuss, do we know how Calachora is responding to these developments?"

Resisting the impulse to bite her lip, she replied, "not very well. They certainly haven't taken it lying down. I know they have launched numerous protests against Perlugen, but it is falling on deaf otoliths. Perlugen isn't listening to a word they say. They're on the verge of severing ties with them altogether."

"How spiteful," Glittermine smirked. "It's what they deserve. They've stabbed us, Perlugen, even their own people in the back. As a nation, they are on the verge of self-destruction, all by their own hand."

Octavia nodded but said nothing. Avrika glanced up at Callie but she remained stoic. Even her mantle remained even and still.

"Lady Protor, what of our land?"

The Lady of Law stood, managing to look just slightly less pleased than her colleague. "Dictatrix, Perlugen has fully supported our claim that the land is ours by default according to international law. They have even taken the issue to the Council of Nations on our behalf and we have already received support from other nations. If all goes well, the final word should come in summer."

"Why so long?" Stonefeller demanded. "How much discussion does it actually take to realise the obvious?"

Lady Protor's smile faded, her expression morphing into one of exasperation. "Such things take time, Lord Stonefeller. This situation has never happened before and will set precedent. Also, Calachora has to be allowed the time to produce a counter argument." She smiled again. "I look forward to humiliating them in court."

She sat down and Octavia glanced at Callie briefly before moving to Lord Hobber. He stood and held a piece of paper.

"As part of our new and official agreement with Perlugen, the jellyfish will be paying us in mineral resources for military assistance. There are even plans for foreign investment once our land is officially returned to us. We're already looking at products we can use to trade further with them in the future."

"More military assistance?" Glittermine asked. "Isn't that what got us into this mess in the first place?"

"It's not going to be as overt as that," Lady Sever interrupted. "The plan we have in place is more clandestine in operation. We will focus on disrupting enemy activities rather than trying to seize territory or attack enemy armed forces. The Grand Consortium is not nearly as stable as we are and even less so than Calachora seems at present."

"And how will you do that?" Stonefeller demanded. "Because the Army doesn't have a great track record so far."

"They do against the Consortium," Callie quipped.

Stonefeller glared at her but Callie looked back unafraid. Octavia broke the duel of glares with a cough.

"There is more that must be considered here. The Grand Consortium is on a journey of expansion that will not stop at Perlugen. They will most likely attack some of their other neighbours. Also, once our land is returned to us, they will be just across the sea, and unlike Calachora, we have no Coast Guard to stop them from invading. It is in our best interest if the Grand Consortium is kept off balance. Lady Cuttlefish, do you see Calachora's leadership changing for the better anytime soon?"

Callie lifted her chin slightly. Her tone of voice was only slightly more pleasant than her expression. "The leadership will change soon one way or the other, but from what I've been hearing, Calachora won't be any threat against us regardless of who's in charge. Since we've only made moves to help them in recent memory, and the Octarians in Inkopolis have done nothing but be helpful, the narrative of the Empire moving to conquer Calachora isn't really sticking. People generally want to believe that your leadership implies a positive change, Dicatrix."

More than a few eyes shifted to the Loyalists side of the Ravalda, and even their eyes shifted to Stonefeller in particular. Recently, the Loyalists did not seem as united as they had once been, which was more good news to add to today's pile.

"And our hopes of peace are still intact then?"

Callie smirked. "Considering what Marie's been able to get away with? Yeah, I'd say our chances are very good. She's managed to raise her own army in the capital, she has a growing segment of the population and even members of the Assembly and the matrions of the people supporting her. Every day that goes by increases her power to create change, so if Keeper is going to make a move it has to be soon. Once someone is in as Monarch it's hard to get them out, especially during a crisis."

"Quite relatable," Octavia said with a smirk. "I hope it means this will all be over quickly and we can get back to the business of peace and rebuilding. At the very least, we finally seem to be making our first real steps into the sunlight. This spring will be exciting."

Stonefeller smacked his desktop. "Do you intend to, once again, sit back and do nothing while the inklings wait to attack us when we've diverted most of our forces to help Perlugen?"

"That's not what we're doing," Sever said. "It will only be a small force, for the time being. We are not leaving our nation defenceless. At most, we've had to spread a little thinner to protect the port and conduct port construction and repairs. Perlugen's assistance with that has been invaluable, but our strength remains here at home."

"Very good," Octavia said. "Let us all begin to consider how we will adapt to life on the surface. It is not nearly as defensible as the domes and someday we may have to transfer the breeding pools to the surface as well. That is still a ways off but we have to start thinking about it."

Everyone waited until the Lord Speaker had officially dismissed them then they began to gradually file out of the room.

It had been one of the more pleasant meetings of the Ravalda that Avrika had attended. The vitriol and melancholy of earlier meetings had been replaced with hope and a degree of optimism she hadn't seen in the Ravalda before, but it had been the trend since Callie's rise as Kravah. They really did owe a lot to her, which made it all the more sad when Callie left the Shromacchi Ravalda with a hurt expression.

"Are you alright?"

Callie flashed red. "I think I know how you felt when you found out Octavio was a crazy, delusional, despot, only it isn't just with one person, it's a big chunk of the Assembly."

"Ah. I do sympathise. Will Marie be alright?"

Callie pulsed grey. "I'm sure Keeper isn't going to tolerate her doing whatever she wants to further the cause of peace and ruin his chances of war. I'm sure she'll come out on top somehow but he's crazy and crazy people are capable of anything. That makes them dangerous."

Avrika concurred. She'd seen it in-person too many times to discount it. "At least she has the agents. And the Guard looks impressive in its own way."

"I know, but whatever happens it's going to be ugly. To some people it just looks like Marie is shielding herself behind children."

Avrika winced. She hadn't thought about it that way.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to Callie's house. Callie looked like she wanted to rest the minute she walked in, but she would not be able to do that today.

Tephilla greeted them as they came through the front door.

"M'lady, the Exarch is waiting for you in the parlour."

She sighed softly, her mantle turning a mix of blue and burgundy. "Thank you, Tephy. Bring some snacks, will you?"

She flashed green and bowed before leaving. Callie's guards moved ahead of her until they reached the parlour, where they found the Exarch examining the many pictures on one of the shelves. He turned as they walked in, not that Callie's ground-shaking footfalls could ever be stealthy.

"Lady Cuttlefish," he said, smiling. "So good to see you again. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all, Exarch; it's a pleasure. I am a bit surprised you wanted to visit me though. It's a little dangerous to be around me right now."

The Exarch waved his hand. "I lived through the Great Turf War and spent the rest of my life in the domes. Danger is rather relative here. I would say that, next to the Great Temple, this place is one of the safest in all the domes."

Callie smiled wearily. "I'll take your word for it." She took her seat and Tephilla brought in trays of snacks, setting them on the small table between the normal-sized chairs.

"Is there anything else, M'lady?"

"Not for right now, Tephy. Go ahead and help the others if they need it."

Tephilla flashed green then left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"She has come a long way," the Exarch said as he eased himself into one of the arm chairs. "I couldn't help but examine all the pictures you have here. It seems you have made a great many happy memories."

"I have. I plan on making many more in the future."

"I am certain you will. In fact, thanks to you, many Octarians will be able to live lives full of more happy memories than the last few generations combined. That hope and prosperity is something you have helped to bring. We should all be grateful."

"The Octarians did much the same for Inkopolis; I'm just doing it in a different way. I'm sure Betanuss could tell you just how well they've trained the Guard."

"Perhaps. As it happens, Ambassador Betanuss told me something else when she came back from Inkopolis."

Callie frowned and looked at her. Avrika was just settling into her own seat and did her best to ignore Callie's gaze and take one of the snack cakes.

"Was it another message from the Archon?"

Avrika shook her head. "No, it was more of a question for the Exarch from me and, to a lesser extent, the Ambassador of Perlugen. Something about an observation he made while we were meeting with Marie at the Vasilika – in the palace."

Callie smirked. "Yeah, imagine that. Papa's princess gets to live in an actual palace. Not that she doesn't deserve it after all she's done, and I heard she was having a harder time recovering than me." She rubbed the arm of her chair. "It's kind of ironic but she actually might have been worse off than me, staying in Inkopolis."

Avrika wasn't sure she would go that far. Marie wasn't exactly suffering and she had more than enough guards to discourage any assasination attempts. As far as she knew, no attempts had been made.

"That is certainly one perspective," the Exarch agreed. "But as we were saying, the Perlugen Ambassador made an interesting observation that the palace throne was of a rather large size."

Callie pulsed a grey-green. "Well, yeah. Queen Immelina was huge! As far as we know, the largest inkling who ever lived. I've never seen her throne in person but I've seen pictures of it with people standing next to it for scale."

"Was Queen Immelina bigger even than you? As I've been told, you are much larger than the average inkling."

"I don't honestly know." She smirked. "Depending on how Marie's been eating, she might have broken the record."

"Well, the Ambassador had observed that Marie was the perfect size for the throne. Apparently the first inkling in over 300 years to be so. What's more, the Ecclesiarchy seems willing to give Marie a free hand in what she's doing. They have not, for example, opposed her creating an army of children, despite their mandate."

Callie scowled. "If everyone else did their jobs properly, they wouldn't be needed." She tapped her fingers together. "And what exactly are you getting at?"

The Exarch sighed and leaned back into his chair, folding his hands in his lap as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Near the end of the Great Turf War, the Ministry of Providence knew we were going to lose, one way or another, despite what the propagandists would have us believe. They were fooling no one by that point. I was a young priest-in-training serving in, what was then, the Grand Temple. We were all busy preparing as many artefacts as we could for storage. We hoped they would be transferred into the new domes and preserved. He shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, Octavio considered such efforts merely sentimental and the ministry was, in general, not very high on his priority list, nor for that matter the other Octo Lords that were still alive then."

Callie flashed green and smiled thinly. "I think I know where this story is going."

The Exarch smiled back. "Perhaps part of it, but I suspect you don't know how it relates to what we were just discussing, because, you see, I was sent on a mission to contact the Ecclesiarchy and make an appeal. Not ever an easy thing to ever do, never mind in war."

"The appeal to preserve your artefacts?"

He nodded. "I was given spare rations for the journey and sent off with the letter. I had to sneak past our own forces still holding the line. It was a risky mission. I knew very well that I could be caught and killed, but I prayed and kept the faith that the Exarch knew what he was doing and that, despite everything else happening, we would succeed in this.

"Eventually, I reached the top of a mountain where I stopped to rest. I had been there for perhaps ten minutes when someone else appeared." His eyes glazed over with reminiscence. "I remember her vividly. Bright red tentacles and eyes like rubies. She didn't act the slightest bit wary of me and stood before me as if she owned the mountain herself. Fortunately for me, she turned out to be a Calachoran Army chaplain, charged by the Archon to go to that very same spot. As it turned out, she had a letter for me to deliver to the Exarch."

Callie blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Indeed. We were both quite shocked at this, but both of us offered our praise to the gods for their mercy and wisdom. It was a huge relief for me to know that the gods had indeed not abandoned us."

Callie nodded slowly. "So… what was in the letter?"

"The Archon was sharing with us a vision they had, one in which our two people would find peace and that Calachora would one day provide us someone to lift our nation out of darkness and help unite our two peoples in a way nobody would have imagined before."

Callie blinked. "Wait, you mean me?"

"I do. It was since then I knew that it would be an inkling who would lead us out of the domes and save our people. When I first met you, I didn't understand why you needed to be as large as you are, but now I think that there is a connection between that and Marie's destiny."

Callie arched an eyebrow, her mantle turning a dark-yellow. "Marie's destiny?"

"Yes, for you see, the letter also told of someone who would succeed the 'old queen' which I believe is this Queen Immelina. She would tear down what was and rebuild it into something greater. She would be a silver ring uniting all the keys."

Callie's eyes went wide and her mantle turned a luminous orange with blotches of yellow and white.

"Marie is supposed to succeed Queen Immelina? But Queen Immelina was a kyria, an inkyora gifted to Inkopolis by the gods to help them through the tumultuous times and to help them repopulate the city after so many… wars…"

Callie trailed off, her eyes suddenly becoming unfocused yet alert. It was the look of someone who had experienced a life-changing revelation.

"And Queen Immelina was the one who united all the inkling people into what is now Calachora," Avrika said. "Ambassador Jellison and the Perlugen Consensus now believe that when the gods told them to vassalize themselves, it was not actually to Calachora, but to Marie. It seems incomprehensible but they seem to have already accepted her as their queen."

Callie shook her head disbelievingly and rested it on her hand, staring down at the floor, shocked. "If it had come from anyone but you, Exarch, I'd have called them crazy. I wouldn't've believed it. If that's true though, then Bellchora – Perlugen, rather, is going to merge with Calachora to become one nation, with Marie as queen."

The Exarch shrugged his tentacles. "To be honest, the letter never mentions the jellyfish, only that our two nations would be united with the two of you."

Avrika nodded. "Against the Grand Consortium. The gods knew that we could only stop them together."

"And perhaps many more threats in the future. Peace, genuinely, is necessary for our survival."

Callie lifted her head. "Are you saying – and please tell me plainly, what am I supposed to be? Isn't being Kravah enough?"

The Exarch shrugged. "Title doesn't matter. The point is that I believe you have been sent as a kyria for us. There is no such thing in Octarian history but I believe we could certainly use one right now. This is what the gods decided for us as an answer to our prayers. We must obey, especially if we are to survive and thrive."

"They barely accept me as Kravah and even that might fade with time."

Avrika stared at her, bewildered. "What? But the people love you. You've done so much to improve life in the domes in such a short time. There is fresher air, a greater abundance of water, the Army no longer needs to fear attacks from the agents, and we will have increased food production very soon. Not only that, but you and Marie have helped bring us back into the world. Other nations know about us now and we are even trading with the jellies. Those are all worthy achievements. While you might not be a queen, I am certain, with the god's guidance, we can find you an appropriate role in our society."

The Exarch nodded his agreement but Callie looked conflicted.

"That wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to help the Octarian people. I never even asked to become Kravah. Now the people and the Ravalda are going to have to believe I'm literally Heaven sent? That's too much to expect. They won't buy it."

The Exarch shook his head. "There will always be some naysayers but they will be in the minority. I have no doubt the people will be willing to accept you when the time comes. The reason I am telling you all this is because that time is soon and I didn't want you to be unprepared for it."

Callie rubbed the side of her head. She still didn't look quite all there. "It's… a lot to take in. I'm still not sure I believe it."

The Exarch laughed. "You will. Just remember that you always have a choice. Whether or not you choose to do as the gods wish is entirely up to you." He stood up. "But I and all of the Octarian people would be eternally grateful if you would." He bowed and excused himself, leaving Avrika alone with Callie.

Callie kept staring at the Exarch's vacated chair, a deep frown creasing her forehead. After a minute or two, she mumbled, "I wonder if Marie knows."

"She might," Avrika answered. "It could explain her sudden change in policy regarding the Assembly and government. Then again, it may just be frustration."

"Or both," Callie mused, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "Either way, I doubt she'd take it well. She's never liked being forced into things, but she'll do it if she knows it's the right thing to do, even if it eats her up inside."

She sighed tiredly. "I need time to process all this."

"Of course." Avrika stood up and bowed. "I have not told anyone else about this, not even Dicatrix Octavia. I will continue to remain discreet on the matter."

"Please do. Good night, Ambassador."

"Good night, M'lady."

—-

"Are you sure?"

Kitchen Spiraltail bubbled with irritation and paced back and forth in the small, makeshift office, occasionally glancing out the window at the large tanks and lab setup outside it, weighing the risks yet again, but he'd made his decision.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but this will be our best chance. Despite what Keeper promised, he's clearly not going to be the player we hoped for. He's too stubborn and it doesn't look like the Calachoran's will listen to him even if he does somehow become monarch."

Gibber Softshell clicked his mandibles and tapped his claws together nervously. "I understand what you're saying, and you're probably right. It's just that not all of the new arrivals have recovered and if we do this, I would put it at four to five that they will locate us here."

"They would be slaughtered trying to expel us. They talk big but there's no way they're going to send a bunch of children in here, and if they do, so much the better for us, because it means Keeper actually might get in and the Guard and their Bastion will be considered criminals of the worst kind. They'll take care of them for us."

"I guess I'm relieved that you can be optimistic. I can get us going but it will not be until tomorrow night, at the earliest." He crossed his arms. "I just wish we could use our contacts in the Domes for something to make this easier."

"So do I," Spiraltail muttered. "But I don't see how without giving it away. Our research has come a long way thanks to them, but we knew keeping the lab here would be untenable for long. It was only to get us started, and out of the way of prying eyes. Besides, we knew from the start that they would eventually let what we were doing leak, and now that they've taken a firm stand against us, we have no choice but to act now."

Softshell chittered and lowered his arms. "I understand. I think the best way is to move everyone out at night to the staging area. It will take just a bit longer but will let us hit them hard right from the start, assuming this is still a smash and grab."

"It is. Remember we have to take the labs intact. Smash everything else, but avoid bringing the ceiling down on top of everyone."

Softshell clacked his claws. "That might be difficult with the goliaths, but we'll do our best. Either way, we can at least eliminate them as a real threat."

"Good. In the meantime, get all of the lab staff and the research back home as planned. I'll see what I can do about getting everyone else smuggled back out."

Spiraltail left the office and dodged around a light dangling from the cracked ceiling. As he walked down the stairs he saw the scientists examining a dead specimen on the lab table.

"Did we lose another trading Salmonid?"

They turned to him and one of them clacked his claw. "Their brains just don't last long with the modifications we have to make. Honestly, I'm getting tired of educating them over and over."

"You won't have to do it anymore, and as long as they last long enough to make the queen think they're strong, it'll do."

"So, you're officially shutting down project Grizzly?"

He clacked his claw. "We've pushed it as far as we can. We'll have to switch to alternative means. Hopefully, we should be able to give you all the extra research we need. After that, the Octarians and the Salmonids will have served their purpose."

Author's Notes:

Well, the harpoons had to come from somewhere, right? A lot of you guessed correctly that, yes literal harpoons will be used. Ah, but how will they be implemented? A mystery I probably could have done better with but, eh, live and learn I suppose.

Callie is getting used to her role as a Kravah and is even a semi-common sight among the Ravalda now. Octavia's still in charge though, it's important to remember. And a visit from the Exarch now too! But even they don't seem entirely sure what's going on. Has Callie already been fulfilling her destiny?

Finally, the crabs are planning their endgame. Will our heroes be prepared? you'll have to wait and see.