Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Note: This chapter has been extensively modified from its NaNoWriMo original (and it's 20 percent longer also). There were just so many plot issues that when I attempted to spackel them over with 'Instant Plot Fixer' it made no sense. So, I had to rip some parts out and reassemble it with some new sentence glue. Still not perfect, but hopefully it works better now.
Word Count: 5,481 (16 of 18)
"Who's that with my sister?" Quinn asked, turning to Brittany. "And why's Francine here?"
"Who's that with my mother?" Rachel asked, just loud enough for Quinn to hear.
"You didn't," Quinn said, glaring at Brittany. "And don't say you didn't know. You've had this little reunion planned for months."
"I didn't have anything to do with that," Brittany said, subtly pointing at the two women holding hands. "And I'm not sure if anything is happening there. They might just be friends like they claim."
"We will be discussing this later," Quinn said firmly, on Brittany's private channel so Rachel wouldn't hear her.
"You're so cute when you try to be butch," Brittany said, giggling. "Are you going to spank me? That's usually San's job."
"Brittany!" Quinn said, sounding scandalized. "That's not what I meant."
"That's too bad. I bet if you asked Rachel, she would be up for it," Brittany said. "Though probably not right now in front of her dads."
"This isn't the time or place," Quinn said.
"Right. Plenty of time later, after the 'fam' go home," Brittany said, smirking.
"Argh!" Quinn screamed in the privacy of her hardsuit, after closing the channel. Taking a deep breath, and then several more, she tried to calm herself down before she did something inappropriate. She didn't think she would ever get used to the way Brittany could pull her strings.
"Let's get this show on the road," Brittany said, over the common comm channel as soon as all of their guests had been escorted into the inner temple reception room. "Jody? May? If you could give us some privacy? This is Inner Family business."
"Yes ma'am," Jody, a short brunette said. Nodding at her fellow trooper, they left the room, taking up guard positions in the outer chamber, the doors closing as soon as they were in position.
"Please take a seat," Brittany said to the group standing together at the edge of the room, her voice echoing. "We have many things to discuss," she said, telling her suit to retract her helmet as she gestured at large, colorful cushions scattered across the room. She ignored the surprised gasps from Rachel's fathers as her face was uncovered.
"But first, introductions are in order," she said, once everyone was seated, the Berry's next to Shelby Corcoran and Quinn's sister in the middle, Santana's mother and cousin off to the side. The four remained standing at the front of the large room, their armor glinting in the bright light. Brittany could hear Rachel giggling nervously over their shared com channel. "As some of you may already know," she said seriously, nodding at Maribel and Sophia Lopez, "We are members of the Council of Nine of the Dragon Clan."
"The Clan?" Leroy Berry asked. "Who and what does that mean?"
"Our Clans are many things. Family. Coworkers. Our governments," Brittany said. "Our identity."
"But why here?" Maribel asked. "This land is already occupied."
"To put it bluntly? The area we have annexed in the Yucatan originally belonged to one of our clans, so we took it back. We lost contact with them over a millennia ago but we still consider it Clan lands. You'll hear them referred to as the Lost Clan. And yes, Mama Lopez, we know they weren't really lost," Brittany said, when she appeared ready to protest.
What are you going to do with it?" Hiram asked.
"We have several goals. One of them is to restore the Lost Clan to its original status. It was determined that it would be easier to do that from here."
"You said you have several goals," Hiram said. "Can you tell us what the others are?"
"Not yet," Brittany said. "In time we will share our plans, but not today."
"You are of the Nine?" Sophia asked, in the silence that followed. "What are your names?"
"We have several names," Brittany said, "depending on our role. As part of the Council, we are The Hands, The Memory, The Shadow, and The Air," she said, pointing at Quinn, Rachel, herself, and Santana.
"So, you are the ones we have been waiting for," Sophia said softly. "But you are not gods."
"In some ways we are powerful, but no, we aren't gods," Brittany said. "Can you imagine what would happen if we were?" she said, giggling. "We are the ultimate authority within our Clan."
"Where is our daughter?" Leroy asked. "Is she safe? Can we take her home?"
"Brittany? Where are the others?" Maribel asked.
"We're all right here," Brittany said, pointing at the other armored figures. "Quinn is the Hand, Santana is the Air, and Rachel is the Memory." As she spoke their names, the others retracted their helmets. Smiling slightly, Brittany watched as the Berries, and Shelby Corcoran threw themselves at their daughter, Maribel Lopez pulled Santana into a hug, and Quinn's sister hugged her.
"No one is here for you," Sophia Lopez said quietly, looking up at Brittany. "Who is happy to see you?"
"Mama Lopez is here," Brittany said, giving her a small smile. "My parents died when I was very young. I barely remember them." She gestured at the others. "Look at how happy they are. That makes me happy."
"What do each of the Nine do?" Sophia asked in a low voice, as they watched the others.
"Good question," Brittany said. Raising her voice, she called everyone to order. "We aren't done," she reminded her fellow Nine. "Everyone sit down."
"Your girl is kind of bossy," Quinn said to Santana as they sat down.
"You're just noticing this now?" Santana said. "She's Brittany, and always has been."
"You mentioned the Nine are the ultimate authority in the Clan," Hiram said, maintaining a tight grip on Rachel. "What does that mean, and when can we take Rachel home?"
"The Nine is the official name for the leaders of one of the Clans," Brittany said. "For this phase of our plans there are only the four of us but eventually the other five will be awoken. Until then, none of us can go, we have a job to do."
"Why can't any of these others do this job?" Leroy asked. "There are a lot of these Clan people running around, from what I've seen and heard."
"It wouldn't be fair to them, Poppa," Rachel said. "They are here because we needed them. They're now our Clan. Our responsibility."
"But you were kidnapped," Shelby said. "Why do you owe them any loyalty?"
"It isn't that simple," Brittany said. "We weren't so much kidnapped as selected to lead this Clan until the Return is complete."
"Lead? Maybe you should explain further," Leroy said, frowning.
"The Clans aren't just people wandering around in space, like Hollywood gypsies," Rachel said, pouting. "They are an integral part of the Confederation," Rachel said. "There are currently twelve full Clans, each responsible for keeping peace in their part of the galaxy."
"Who put them in charge?" Hiram asked. "Is there some kind of government?"
"Not in the way you might think," Rachel continued. "The Universe is just too big for a single government to work. The distances are too far. What we do have is a loose confederation. They provide guidance to the local governments. A long time ago, the Confederation realized it needed some way to keep the peace. The Clans were being a nuisance and to punish them, the Confederation designated them as the Galaxy police. Each Clan has their own area to manage, though they can call on other Clans if they need help. Why am I doing all of the exposition?" she asked the others, when she paused for a breath.
"It's your job, short stuff," Santana said. "You do exposition, we do demolition."
Brittany sighed, shaking her head at her girlfriend's comment. "Earth was designated as the home base for the Lost Clan," she said. "Something happened to their Nine and things fell apart."
"What happened?" Hiram asked.
"Not sure what yet," Brittany said. "I'm still investigating, but that's not really relevant right now."
"How'd you end up 'selected' for this?" Leroy asked, his unhappiness with that clear in his voice.
"The Confederation finally noticed that this area was no longer under the watchful eye of its Clan and decided to do something about it," Brittany said.
"Took them long enough," Santana grumbled. "Could'a fixed things ages ago."
"Well, they picked us and we're going to do an awesome job on this fix-r-upper," Brittany said, waving at herself, Santana, Quinn, and Rachel.
"I know babe. We're always awesome," Santana said. "But they screwed up, not us."
"At least they gave us training to do our thing," Brittany said. "They didn't just throw us into the pond to see if we could float. We have our roles. Important ones."
"Which are?" Francine asked, subconsciously tightening her grip on Quinn.
"Santana runs the fleet," Brittany said proudly. "She knows every member of her crews and can do every spacer job in the Fleet. She's the Lady Air."
"They made me learn everything from the bottom up," Santana said, grumbling. "I didn't get to the fun stuff for almost a year."
"Fun stuff?" her mother asked "What exactly do you do?"
"I can fly every ship in the Fleet," Santana said. "From the largest cruiser to smallest combat armor. And fix them too."
"She's really good," Brittany said proudly. "She's a natural pilot. I bet it runs in the family," she said, looking at Sophia.
"Quinn? What's your role in this?" Francine asked.
"She's Fleet General," Santana said. "Sort of like a combo of the Marines, and the Law. Any of our people you run into down here, except for us three, works for her."
"Quinn isn't in charge of any of my teams," Brittany said quickly.
"So, Quinnie, you're the new sheriff in town?" Francine said, poking her sister. "Ow! That stuff is hard!"
"Only if you hit me," Quinn said, poking her back. "Now hush. Brittany's talking."
"Yes, ma'am! Sheriff Q Ma'am!" Francine said, giggling.
"Sorry, Babe. Brit has her own crew," Santana said, correcting herself. "All of our intelligence assets report to her. She's our Spy Master. Our M."
"It's my job to snoop," Brittany said, giggling. "I know everything about everyone."
"Quinn? How did that happen?" Francine asked. "How did my pacifist little sister end up with an army?"
"She's really good," Brittany said. "She's the Hand of the Council. But I did yell at our AI when I found out what they had planned for her."
"You did?" Quinn said, clearly surprised.
"They didn't listen," Brittany said, sad faced. "Sorry Quinn."
"But, she does kick ass," Santana said hastily. "And her troopers are the best."
"And you Rachel?" Shelby asked, looking worried.
"My role is a bit complex," Rachel said, squeezing a pillow. "It includes diplomacy, being a historian, singer, songwriter, that kind of thing."
"Bard," said Santana.
"You're bored? Brittany said, puzzled.
"No, Bard," she said pointing at Rachel. "Berry's the Clan Bard."
"Oh! You should hear her sing some of the old Clan ballads. Even San cries for some of them," Brittany said.
"They didn't need to know that," Santana grumbled.
"These are your friends, my daughter," Maribel Lopez said. "They know you have a heart."
"So, let me get this straight," Francine said, slowly poking her sister this time. "These aliens kidnap the four of you, teach you all sorts of interesting things, put you in charge, and then what? You conquered Cancun?"
"It's got a great beach," Quinn said, winking at her. "And that's more than Sue Sylvester ever did. She's still stuck in Lima."
"We should get her down here," Santana said. "She'd be perfect for some projects I have planned."
"Like what?" Quinn asked.
"Ladies!" Brittany said loudly. "We aren't done here."
"Right. Sorry Brit," Santana said. "We'll talk later," she said to Quinn.
"There are several stages for this part of the job," Brittany said, glaring at Quinn and Santana to keep them quiet. "The first stage of the job, is what you're experiencing now," she said. "We've taken back the lands belonging to the Lost Clan and are working hard to turn it into an independent country. It'll be our base. The next stage will be to recreate the Clan from its descendants and then merge it into our smaller clan."
"More minions to order around," Santana said smugly.
"Don't pay any attention to her, Mama Lopez. She just likes making tasteless jokes only she understands," Brittany said. "We're just the military/police arm of the Clan right now. The Clan will be more than just us when we're done. We'll have teachers, and farmers, and doctors, and priests. All sorts of people."
"Once the Clan has been rebuilt, it will go back to its original role of policing this corner of the Galaxy. But we need a full clan for that," Quinn added. "And, at some point in the future, the four of us will pass on our roles as members of the Council of Nine to others."
"When?" Leroy asked quietly to Rachel. "And then can you come home with us?"
"The Clan is home," Rachel said.
"And your dreams? What about Broadway?" he asked her.
"This is more important," she said. "I still get to sing, and dance, and entertain, but there's so much more for me in the Clan. I have friends now!" she added. "People who care about me, and that I care about."
"We care about you," Leroy said. "We've missed you."
"I know," Rachel said softly. "But my life is here, with the Clan."
"It will be at least a decade before we get to the point where we can hand things over to our replacements," Brittany said. "And since we kind of own the hotel you are staying at, you can stay as long as you want."
"Why did they pick you four?" Shelby asked, after they'd digested that idea. "What makes you so special?"
"They were searching for people with Lost Clan blood," Rachel said. "And got lucky."
"How do they know?" Hiram asked his daughter. "You could almost pass for a native here but Quinn and Brittany look distinctly northern European."
"They have very sophisticated gene mapping tools," Quinn said. "All four of us have Clan genes."
"So, you all have ancestors who lived here?" Sophia asked. "You are all part of the Mayan diaspora?"
"Not all of us," Brittany said. "Just Quinn, Rachel, and Santana. And immediate family - Hiram and Francine."
"You're Clan but not our Clan?" Sophia asked, puzzled. "How is that possible?"
"Brit is special," Santana said, defensively. "Does it really matter?"
"Artie is checking the rest of you right now," Brittany said. "We know Mama Lopez and Cousin Sophia are members of the Clan because of Santana. But Leroy and Shelby? Do you want to know? We don't need to check. You can join the Clan because of Rachel, even if you aren't a blood member at this point."
"I'll need to think about this," Leroy said. "What would it mean for us?"
"Not much, Poppa,' Rachel said. "At least not right now. We'll probably lose people who don't want to live on Clan ruled lands so finding a job shouldn't be too hard. I would really like you both to stay."
"What of the people who are not Clan affiliated?" Sophia asked. "We have a large population descended from the Conquistadors. They consider themselves natives."
"We've already run the calculations," Brittany said. "It looks like that will be a small group," Brittany said. "There are a million people with clan blood. Less than half a million without."
"That's a lot of people," Leroy said.
"It would be a lot more but there's been some attrition over the last year due to that hurricane and earthquakes," Quinn said. "And several hundred thousand tourists still to deal with."
"That seems like a huge job, to integrate all of these people into a single society," Shelby said. "At least I'm assuming that is your goal."
"It'll be a year or two before we are ready to open our borders to visitors," Brittany said. "Assuming no one interferes with our plans. But we should be rejoining the world sooner than that."
"How do you plan to feed our people?" Maribel asked, frowning at them.
"No one will starve," Rachel said. "Farmers will continue to grow and get paid for their crops. Businesses will stay open. We're just rearranging things so that we are self-sufficient and don't need to depend on anyone else."
"Life will be different," Brittany added. "But not too different."
"The other nations won't like this," Leroy said. "And what about the Mexican government? Won't they object to your plans?"
"Poppa, they have no choice. No one is getting past Santana's fleet. And Quinn controls the ground," Rachel said.
"You're talking as if the people will do whatever you want," Leroy said, obviously disturbed.
"Don't they always?" Santana said. "We aren't taking away their possessions, though we'll buy out anyone who doesn't want to be a part of this. And there will be new jobs. And education for those who want it."
"We are doing things the Chicago mob way," Brittany said. "We're bribing the federal government to leave us alone, not that they could stop us. We've talked with all of the Mayors of the cities here and they've agreed to co-operate."
"And, we're buying up all of the touristy places owned by outside interests," Santana said.
"It's not going to be a paradise," Rachel said. "But life will improve for everyone who wants to be a part of this."
"We will need to discuss many things," Sophia said. "The People must see the benefits to them in this new world."
"Of course," Quinn said. "It will take time. It's only been a week. Most people have no idea what is going on."
"We have plans in the works," Brittany said. "But let's talk about more urgent issues. Like, why you are here today, Sophia, instead of learning about our plans over the next few months with everyone else."
"We would like access to the Family temples in the Ancestral cities," Sophia said. "Contrary to what the foreign archeologists claim, they are still used. And, no, human sacrifice is not something we practice."
Quinn pulled her tablet out. "Can you point them out?" she asked, handing it to her with a map of Chichen Itza on it.
"Yes," Sophia said.
"We would also like someone to speak to the village elders about your plans," Maribel said.
"That would be Rachel, Mama Lopez," Brittany said. "We'll give you the number for her assistants and they can work out appearances, when and where."
"What if I want to decide that myself?" Rachel said, pouting.
"We've talked about this, Shorty," Santana said. "You'll need escorts and transportation, and you have other meetings to attend. That's why you have assistants."
"Phewie," Rachel said, sticking her tongue out at Santana.
"Something confuses me," Shelby said. "Three of you are part of Sophia's 'Mayan Diaspora' but what about you Brittany?"
"Yes," Maribel said. "You've gone to a lot of trouble to bring us all here but where are your parents?"
"My parents died years ago," Brittany said. "My guardians, whom you've met, are traveling. We felt it important that all of you not be visible when the nosy governments discover who we are."
"You felt it was better," Quinn said. "I'd prefer to be optimistic."
"What do you mean?" Shelby asked.
"Right now, everyone thinks we are aliens. A bunch of those apocalypse cults are flooding into the area hoping to join us in some brave new world order," Quinn said.
Rachel snorted. "I can't wait to see their faces," she said, "when they discover we're two tall blondes and two short brunettes. And no men! And we don't want what they want."
"We also have a bunch of governments trying to get our attention. They think we must have some awesome tech they can steal. Brittany thinks our families will be used to blackmail us to get it."
"So, Mom and Dad?" Francine asked.
"They were invited," Quinn said, frowning. "If they don't want to be here, that's their problem."
"Do you really hate them that much?" Francine asked.
"No, she doesn't," Brittany said, frowning at Quinn's mulish expression. "We're keeping an eye on them. If someone tries something we'll go get them."
"Brittany, you didn't answer Sophia's question," Maribel said.
"I didn't? Sorry. My parents belonged to another Clan," she said. "They were looking for the Lost Clan when they died in an accident."
"I'm sorry," Maribel said, squeezing her hand.
"I've had a long time to get used to it," Brittany said. "I consider Santana's family to be mine."
"We are honored," Sophia said.
"Wait until she plays one of her practical jokes on you," Quinn said, shaking her head. "Then you won't feel so honored."
"You're just jealous," Brittany said. "Mine always turn out better than yours."
"Rachel, could you explain something else for me?" Hiram said.
"Of course, Dad."
"You said that you were responsible for all of your people being here?"
"Yes…"
"What exactly did you mean? Wouldn't they have been here anyway if someone else had been picked to do this thing you are doing?"
"Not as such," Rachel said. "They're kind of related to us," she added.
"What do you mean?" Hiram said.
"Well, Artie came here several decades ago, without any crew. She had to create them once we were ready to begin."
"Artie?" Francine asked. "You've mentioned an Artie several times but who is that?"
"Artie's the AI, Artificial Intelligence, sent by the Galactic Confederation to manage this project."
"So, this Artie works for you?"
"Not exactly," Rachel said. "It's her project and we're just the subcontractors on site, more or less."
"Oh...kay," Hiram said. "I'd like a better explanation later but let's get back to where Artie 'created' a crew."
"It's sort of like cloning, but not really?" Rachel said. "I don't really understand it myself."
"Clones? So there are clones of the four of you running around here? Or clones of someone else?"
"No," Brittany said. "It isn't really like that. Artie took some genetic material from each of us, you know - like DNA, and mixed it up it to make new, original people from it. It's better to say they are our great-grandchildren," she said. "Most of them work in the Fleet for Santana as her ship crews and as troopers in Quinn's army. I have several small teams and so does Rachel."
"So, we're Great-great Grandparents?" Leroy asked eagerly.
"They're Clan," Santana said, shaking her head. "We have a family structure, of sorts, but they aren't really our children. And they aren't clones, like you see in the movies. They have their own minds. And personalities. Though I still say Artie pulled a fast one with Rachel."
"You know she doesn't work that way," Brittany said.
"Well, she did something. Otherwise, why do all of my Ships Engineers come from her," Santana grumbled.
"Because I'm special," Rachel said, smirking. "And don't all of our cooks descend from Quinn?"
"Well, that at least makes sense," Santana said grumpily. "I bet Francine here has that 'chef' gene too. Probably bred into the Fabray women by the gods."
"Francine is an excellent cook," Shelby said. "She seems to have a knack for it." "See! I told you so," Santana said.
"That doesn't explain all of your Rachineers," Quinn said. "They are very good at their jobs but none of them can carry a tune," she added, throwing a pillow across the room at Rachel.
"So, not grandparents," Leroy said sadly.
"You'd go broke trying to buy them gifts," Rachel said. "Our proto-Clan has over five thousand members."
"Oi-vey," Hiram said.
"And the 'no men'?" Maribel asked. "Was that your idea Santana?"
"Me, Mama?" Santana asked innocently. "Would I do something like that?"
"Yes!" her mother, cousin, Brittany, and Quinn said together.
"It wasn't me," Santana said, holding up her hands.
"That's my fault," Brittany said, blushing. "Artie asked me if the new Clan members should be like the Lost Clan, which we've since discovered were all women in Fleet positions. I might have said yes."
"All women?" Maribel asked, surprised.
"Yes, though they appear to have intermarried with several local tribes after the Confederation lost them," Brittany said. "It's possible they are the source of the myths about Amazons."
"All of our priests are now women," Sophia said. "The male Priests were the ones who insisted on performing ritual human sacrifices."
"Huh," Rachel said.
"So, all women, because the original Clan power structure was all women?" Shelby said. "And they are all related?"
"After a fashion," Brittany said. "We had to create rank and family House tattoos so everyone could keep things straight."
"You have a tattoo, Baby Girl?" Leroy asked Rachel. She nodded.
"Can we see it?" he asked.
"Um…" she looked at the others, blushing. "I'm not sure."
Brittany giggled. "We didn't really need the tattoos," she said, "but we all got them. In different places. I think Rachel has hers in a place she never expected anyone to see."
"Yes," Rachel squeaked, her blush getting darker. "I'd rather not."
"Wimp," Santana muttered. "You can see mine." Pulling down her top, she exposed the side of her right breast. Pointing at the three small tattoos she said "House, Family, Clan Rank."
"Sometimes I wonder about you and your voyeuristic tendencies," Quinn said. Retrieving her tablet from Sophia, she flipped to another screen. "These are the tattoos," she said, handing the tablet to Leroy.
"Very intricate work, on some of these," he said.
"Pretend it's an iPad," Brittany said. "Squeeze to shrink, spread to enlarge."
"Oh. Ah. This is interesting work. If we become part of the clan, will we have to get them also?" he asked.
"No, it's really a Fleet thing. Family and Clan civilians don't need them. Also, the Family and House tattoos are because some of us felt there needed to be some way to distinguish how we're related."
"And the House? Was that your idea, Quinn?" Francine said, laughing.
"No, it was Rachel's idea," Quinn said.
"The Sorting Hat was Brittany's," Rachel said. "I just suggested we follow an ages old tradition from before the Clans went to space."
"Like Klingons?" Francine said, still laughing.
"I don't see the connection," Sophia said.
"The Klingons are fictional," Rachel said, confused.
"They were an ancient warrior race and everything had to do with the honor of their House," Francine said.
"I was never really into Star Trek," Quinn said to her sister. "That was all you and the short skirts."
"Hah!" Santana said. "It does fit. Quinn and her troopers can be a bit extreme when it comes to points of honor."
"It's a good morale builder," Quinn said. "We can't all be sports fanatics like your spacers."
"Speaking of sports," Santana said. "You're all invited to next week's inaugural ulama game here. We don't sacrifice the losers but it should still be fun."
"Is that a traditional Clan sport?" Leroy asked.
"Not yet, but it has promise," Santana said. "It's a Mayan sport."
"Dinner is ready," Brittany said, getting to her feet. "You'll love it. The Fleet Chef has been experimenting with local foods."
"She's created some wonderful vegetarian dishes," Rachel added.
"Of course she has," Santana said, smirking. "She's got a crush on you like all the Quinns."
"All of the Quinns?" Francine asked, once more poking her sister, before being pulled to her feet by Shelby.
"Yes. ALL of them," Brittany said, giggling, wrapping her arms around Santana and following her out of the room.
"I don't have a crush on her," Quinn grumbled, once Rachel was out of sight with her fathers.
"And Shelby is just my best friend," Francine said in a low voice, "but that doesn't mean other people have their own opinions."
"You do seem to be awful close, granny," Quinn said, poking her. "How did you two meet?"
"It's a long story," Shelby said.
"And your fault," Francine said. "There's a scholarship at your old school in Lima. It's in your names. We bumped into each other one day next to the plaque with the winner's names on it."
"Literally," Shelby said. "We've been friends ever since. And now that we know what happened to the four of you, maybe she'll be willing to get on with her own life."
"What does that mean?" Quinn asked her blushing sister.
"Nothing," Francine said quickly.
"She's spent the last few years worrying about you and trying to convince everyone who would listen that you're still alive and need to be found," Shelby said.
"Well, you don't need to do that anymore," Quinn said. "Either of you. Take some time off and just relax. Keep the beach house."
"Are the four of you going to let us help out, in whatever way we can?" Francine said, holding out a chair for Shelby, Quinn sitting down between them and the Berry's.
"We'll have to see what Brittany has planned," Quinn said.
"Brittany seems to have a lot to say," Francine said. "Was she always like this? The impression I get from your classmates, and that horrifying coach, is that she was a typical blonde airhead."
"She's definitely the brains of the operation," Quinn said. "She really had everyone fooled. Her guardians trained her to be a leader of her Clan, and they're known for their ability to plan in great detail."
"Interesting," Shelby said. "So, you're in charge of the Clan army. How is that working out?"
Quinn nodded, her mouth full. "It's been an interesting experience. My girls are great. Smart, tough, and the best."
"And you're very proud of them," Francine said, insightfully.
"Of course I am," Quinn said. "I taught them almost everything they know."
"You were a pacifist," Francine said. "My little sister, charter member of Lima's branch of Amnesty International. What happened?"
"People change," Quinn said. "I had to become tougher to survive High School. And then this happened. They needed a general who cared about the troops, and cared about everyone else. And who was tough enough to fight."
"You always said Santana was a tough bitch," Francine said. "Why not her?"
"It's a different kind of toughness," Quinn said. "Santana could blast a city from space, pushing the red button herself, killing everyone in it, if it was necessary. But she would cry afterwards. She's a great leader. Everyone in the Fleet worships her almost as much as they adore Berry. They would do anything for her. But she isn't a warrior. She couldn't go into battle and kill on a personal level."
"And you are," Francine said, wide eyed.
"Yes."
"When have you led your troopers into battle?" Leroy asked, leaning in to their conversation. "I thought you haven't been challenged yet?"
"You mean, besides hundred of hours and months of combat simulation?" Quinn asked.
"No offense, but yes," he said. "You are all still children."
"I could show you all of my scars, but we usually wear armor, good armor. And have good medics. Our hard suits could potentially survive ground zero of a nuclear blast. For a few seconds anyway," Quinn said. "In the two weeks we've been on the ground, we've managed to eliminate most of the drug gangs in the Zone. And they aren't shy about taking hostages and randomly killing anyone in their way."
"So, it hasn't been as peaceful a transition to Clan rule as everyone is saying," Leroy said.
"No. We have tried to keep most of the damage away from the general population, and Brittany is very good at damage control, but we've had some horrific days," she said, looking down at her plate. "Really horrific ones."
"Rachel doesn't seem to be hardened by this," Leroy said. "She seems wiser than she was several years ago, but not someone who's been under attack. Or under great stress."
"She knows what is happening out there," Quinn said. "She's our historian. But she's not directly involved in the fighting. She's too important to risk."
"I see."
"She's also gone through our self defense training," Quinn said. "So, she's not helpless. But she's very well protected. You don't need to worry about her. That's our job."
"I'm her father," Leroy said. "Worrying is part of the territory."
"And keeping her safe is something we do," Quinn said. "English just doesn't have the words or concepts to explain how important she."
"Important to you? Or important to the Clan?" Francine asked, looking at her over the top of her wine glass.
"Umm…" Quinn looked at her, unable to give her a coherent answer.
"I thought so," Francine said, nodding to herself.
Next: A Day In the Life.