Whenever Maximinus had tried to picture the queen he had imagined a takenam of later years, with a dignified and refined air; and a powerful presence. He'd been correct on the last part but he hadn't imagined anything as outrageous as what he was seeing now.
She stood so tall Maximinus had to crane his neck to look up at her face. She had to be more than four times his height. He was so struck by her sheer size that he didn't realize until a moment later that she wasn't an octoling at all; she was an inkling!
Her tentacles were long and black, magenta at the tips floating just above the floor. Her eyes sparkled with amusement and were a vivid gold colour with cross-shaped pupils he had only seen once before, on the Onaga Matriarch's granddaughter. But why was the queen an inkling in the first place? And she looked barely twenty.
Her garments had a youthful style, made of thin but high-quality black material. It left her shoulders exposed and silhouetted her upper body beautifully before flaring into a skirt at her hips. She also wore broad, detached sleeves that matched her tentacles. They were the sort of garments a girl might wear to a formal ball or gathering and while it suited her beautifully, it lacked that certain regal quality one might expect of a queen.
"Your Majesty," Betanuss bowed.
"Avrika, nice of you to bring company over."
The inkling – the queen's voice was crystal clear and melodic. It carried a disarming, honey-sweet tone like a welcome home.
Maximinus barely overcame his shock in time to take his cue and genuflect before her. "Your Majesty, I am Maximinus Rezni, head of the delegation from Splatsville, sent on behalf of Lord Balt Ralok. We extend his warmest greetings and his desire for reunification with the people of the homeland."
Maximinus had refined and rehearsed this greeting over their entire journey. That practice had saved him the embarrassment of stammering like the slack-jawed fool he'd been a moment ago.
The queen curtsied and replied, "I am Queen Callabria, but everyone calls me, Callie." She punctuated her sentence with a girlish giggle that unsettled Maximinus. Those weren't the sort of mannerisms a queen was expected to have. It would have looked poor even for some of the upper-class girls back in Splatsville. How could someone so young be queen?
Maximinus then introduced the other members of the delegation quickly trying not to linger on the fact that there were five members but she could only see four.
They were still dealing with their initial shock. His wives, veterans of many discussions and tense and important negotiations with a variety of different and dangerous people and species over the years, looked positively dumbfounded.
Lias' wives, who were not nearly as experienced looked as if their brains had suddenly skipped town. Tyusha stood motionless, staring at the queen with huge eyes that apparently refused to blink. Marazanna had the dark look of someone someone stuck between wanting to run screaming in terror, or fainting on the spot.
Queen Callie graciously ignored their frankly rude expressions and gestured to a set of seats arrayed for them on a raised platform and seated herself in her own enormous, plush chair. The platform allowed them to all sit relatively eye-level with her.
Good, my neck was going to start hurting soon. He was used to looking up at females of course, but not to that degree.
The queen's invitation thawed the rest of their delegation from their frozen states. Trying to hide their embarrassment and shame, they quietly shuffled after Maximinus to their seats.
The queen's eyes flicked to Betanuss. "Avrika, have you filled them in?"
"Yes, Ma'am, the highlights at least. There's just so much to cover it's difficult to convey clearly."
Like the fact the queen is an inkling? Maximinus wasn't fooled. Betanuss had deliberately left that detail out of her recounting of events. This had to have been a test to see how they would react, to see whether or not they still held prejudice against inklings.
"I'm sure they'll pick things up over time. I hope you were at least able to tell them why they were cooped up in a hotel suite for half a week."
"Yes, Ma'am."
The queen looked at Maximinus, bowing her head slightly. "Sorry to put you through that, Vir Rezni, but I'm afraid we had to take precautions. The Ascendancy's rapid rise has earned us enemies, new and old."
Maximinus bowed his head, forcing himself to keep his mind in the present and not dwell on questions that could be addressed later.
Bowing his head, he said, "there was no offence, Your Majesty. We all understand and we were quite comfortable, I assure you."
"I'm glad. We'll be having lunch soon with a few others but I wanted a chance to clear the air with you first. I imagine you have a lot of questions, like maybe how an inkling became the Octarian queen."
Maximinus kept his expression carefully neutral. "I must confess, the thought had crossed my mind, Your Majesty."
The queen shrugged her shoulders, a calculated gesture. Inklings would normally flash their mantle a certain colour instead of shrugging like that, usually grey but other colours as well, depending on the feeling they were trying to convey.
"Well, I was originally a prisoner and was forced to help with the Octarian war effort. To do that, Octavio put hypno goggles on me and gave me authority as a legate, which meant I had to be made a noble. He was in a rush and not really thinking so he used his authority to grant me nobility of the highest rank, a kravah. After he was deposed, his daughter decided to let me keep the title he gave me. Since I was the only remaining kravah when she was murdered and we were in the midst of an emergency, I kind of became queen by default."
Maximinus nodded politely, hoping to stall long enough for his brain to work through that.
No wonder she was worried about her authority being threatened, her very basis of being queen was purely due to nobody else being qualified and the emergency situation, probably the war Betanuss had mentioned. It was hardly the strongest foundation for a ruler to base their authority and position on. It wasn't like Lord Balt Ralok who had grown into his role from hatching and been leading his people successfully for over a century. He had their loyalty assured, the loyalty of the people to Callie was more suspect. This might be trickier than he thought.
Octarians would obviously prefer to be ruled by another Octarian, and having an inkling queen rule them would probably come as a rude shock. To convince her to help, he would have to do so in a way that she might gain more legitimacy in the eyes of her subjects.
"Becoming queen on such short notice must have been difficult."
"It still is. Fortunately, I have very talented people helping me. The fact that I'm able to focus on the needs of the Octarian people and leave international matters to someone else helps too."
"Yes, I was told about how you are trying to have the people return to living on the surface. I imagine that is going to take some time."
"Probably decades," the queen admitted. Despite her smile, the weariness on her face showed."Fortunately, we've been getting a lot of help from the rest of the Ascendancy. Everyone's eager to help us rebuild but even if we can make a new city, restoring the culture is a little more difficult. That's something I hope you will be able to help with. So much was lost in the century underground that we're going to have to rebuild society almost from scratch."
Maximinus had to keep a very tight rain on his facial muscles to avoid smiling. She'd given him something he could use, something he could offer, and she already wanted it. He simply nodded to Shandra who made quick note then met the queen's gaze again and he suddenly felt unsteady.
Something in those eyes made him feel off balance. They were peculiar eyes, certainly but that wasn't the reason. Something else about the way she'd looked at him triggered some kind of primal response, as if reacting to a fresh burn.
"W-we would be happy to help with that," he said, trying to collect himself. "We have managed to preserve many traditions and our overall society has changed little in structure, though, like you, we had to make some changes to adapt to our circumstances."
The queen nodded, another calculated gesture, then the door opened and a young octoling servant girl entered the room. "Your Majesty, lunch is ready and all your guests have arrived."
The queen flashed green and stood up. "Alright then, shall we dine, Vir Rezni?"
"We would be honoured, Your Majesty."
So far, things were going well. Despite the shock of the queen being an inkling, she seemed amicable and reasonable, quite competent and comfortable in her position in spite of her youth. Even if it was all an act, that still showed a level of competence in her role. She had also given him a bargaining chip, restoration of Octarian culture. He could well imagine how much had been destroyed in the wake of the war and in the brutal conditions of the domes until now, and restoring it would go a long way to increasing her popularity among the people and her legitimacy as ruler. He left his seat feeling hopeful.
They were led into an elaborate dining room with an enormous table covered with elegant, white table cloths. There was a large chair at either end of the table and platforms along the sides where normal sized chairs were positioned. A line of people waited for them. The queen began the introductions, starting with Lord Glittermine of the Ministry of Culture, Lady Protor of the Ministry of Law, and Lord Hobber of the Ministry of Trade.
"And this little angel is Mansia Pacifica." The queen delicately put her hand on the head of a young octoling girl with yellow tentacles dotted with pulsing cerulean rings. "She's our newest kravah."
The octoling bowed rigidly and Maximinus felt a pain in his soul. This girl couldn't have been more than sixteen. Why was she already a kravah? How could such a young girl hope to last in the same position of authority as Lord Balt Ralok? Especially given the difficult time their people were experiencing.
The queen introduced their own party and they all climbed up to the table. The queen then led them in grace then they began to dig in.
It was a single course meal, but with ample variety available. The meal itself was a variation of Octarian cuisine Maximinus was well acquainted with, so he was disappointed when it tasted middling at best. It wasn't the worst he had but far from the high-class food he'd come to expect. Any of his wives could have prepared it better. In contrast, the ministers behaved as though it were the best thing they had eaten in days. The queen and Kravah Pacifica merely appeared content.
Guess I'd better add cuisine to the list of things we can improve here, he thought. That a queen should eat food like this was almost insulting. Had that too been on purpose or were they genuinely just trying to make them comfortable?
Everyone wanted to hear more about Splatsville, about how they had arrived there and it's general history. Maximinus enjoyed telling the tale. It occupied much of their lunch and they were asked a number of other questions regarding the other clans and their relations with them. Things were going well, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their discussions, but as lunch ended and they all entered the parlour again, he knew the real discussion was about to start.
"Perhaps we should talk about the possibility of reunification now," the queen suggested. "I imagine there will be some steps we're going to have to take. What do you think the first step should be, Vir Rezni?"
Maximinus flexed his jaw muscles and forced his body to relax. This was the big question. He had honestly expected to deal with it on a later date, once both sides had time to feel each other out and gather information. Clearly, the queen's administration felt the situation was more urgent, and although part of Meximinus wished he had more time, he too had an urgent situation to deal with, and so he braced himself.
"To be frank, Your Majesty, we need help. As I said before, the foreign scrap corporations are trying to take over the city and push us out. They're creating widespread poverty and threatening to crush our very way of life. They've almost grown out of control. If it were only them we could have stopped them ourselves but they have support from their governments who are using them to exert their own control over the Splatlands."
The queen regarded him with placid eyes and Maximinus felt his stomach sink. He hadn't gotten the slightest rise out of her. Did she already know? She hadn't told Betanuss everything. Could they have learned the situation in Splatsville in the short time they'd been in Inkadia?
"What is it they want?" Lord Hobber asked. "What resource are they after? Is scrap really that valuable?"
Maximinus grimaced. "It depends. The salvage is of Precursor origin so it can sometimes be quite valuable. Artifacts and treasures have been found on occasion. Glen Fiddler, a local inventor, was able to use such things to develop a number of interesting inventions. But there's also Splatsville's location and sheltered harbour. It also guards the mouth of the Green River, which goes up hundreds of kilometres into the interior of the continent."
"Who are the nations in question?" Lady Protor asked.
"The Reef of Lanc, the Urchin Kingdom, and the Consortium of Birgus."
Lord Hobber grimaced. "Birgus was part of the Grand Consortium before it fell apart. Being so far inland must have helped them escape the worst effects of its collapse, except for losing access to the sea."
Lord Glittermine crossed his arms. "I wonder if they knew about the octolings in Splatsville before they ever made deals with us. It would explain a lot of things. They must have realized what they were and spied on them to get information on how to exploit us here in Inkadia."
The queen scratched her cheek thoughtfully. "It is possible. Given how Splatsville appears to operate, it would explain why they tried to mask their actions beneath the veil of the crab gangs."
"But we can't simply leave them," Lady Protor argued. "If these people consider themselves part of the old empire then we have an obligation and a duty to aid them, because they're part of us."
The queen hummed and glanced at Maximinus and the members of his party briefly before she leaned her head on her hand, almost lazily.
"I wonder about that. I find it hard to believe that two generations of octolings would be so willing to obey the laws and orders of an entity they have never been in contact with and swear loyalty to a queen they have never seen or heard of before. I haven't earned their trust like I have the octolings here and how would they react to me being an inkling?"
Maximinus hesitated. The queen being an inkling would be a shock to anyone and make them wonder whether or not she were merely a puppet meant to control the Octarian people. Part of him still suspected that as a possibility, but she was the queen they had and they needed her help. And if she was a puppet, he was sure the people would rally around Lord Balt Ralok, unfortunately, the queen was as aware of that as he was.
"You could not do so through words alone," he admitted. "But with actions I believe you could."
"Actions like freeing you from the encroachment of foreign nations and companies?"
Maximinus winced. He wasn't used to such frankness in these sorts of discussions. "Well, yes, frankly. I could hardly think of a better endorsement or anything that would garner their trust."
"Trust takes time to build," she said. "For the moment I'm just a convenient solution they'll tolerate until the problem is solved." She raised her head straight and her girlish countenance became something more regal and authoritative.
"I didn't earn the trust of the Octarian people by becoming queen, it was the opposite. It was they who made me their queen and they based that decision on everything I had done up to that point. Queen isn't just my title, Vir Rezni, it's my job, one my people trust and depend on me to do well. Even if we do save Splatsville, I won't be able to trust any of the people in Splatsville any more than they could trust any of us."
Again, the queen was correct. Unification was something that would normally take years of groundwork. The simple lack of familiarity between the Octarians of Inkadia and the Splatlands would create a disconnect that would be difficult to bridge. Even so, he had to convince the queen and her ministers that it was possible.
"I assure you, Your Majesty, they would be profoundly grateful to you and in your debt."
"Your assurances mean nothing," she replied flatly. "Trust, remember?"
Maximinus set his jaw. "I am certain Lord Balt Ralok could ensure everyone's cooperation and he is more than willing to submit to your authority if we are reintegrated into the empire."
The queen nodded slowly and cast her gaze over her advisors as if reading their thoughts then looked back at him. "Full integration as in submitting to law and bureaucratic authority?"
Maximinus swallowed. As expected, they would have to give up total autonomy and the traditional way they'd managed and governed the Splatlands for years might be torn asunder and permanently ruined. But again, what choice did they have. At least doing it this way, they might be able to retain enough influence to prevent the worst-case scenarios.
"Yes." He answered, putting as much firmness into his reply as he could.
Come on, he thought, I'm giving you your best chance to secure your position and if you can get Lord Balt Ralok on your side it will be much riskier for anyone to stand against you.
Having pondered for a moment, the queen replied. "Would Lord Balt Ralok swear his clan to an oath of fealty?"
Maximinus frowned. "He has already sworn fealty to the Empire."
"The Empire doesn't exist anymore," she reminded him. "And as I recall, any time a new monarch is installed, all nobles much personally swear allegiance to them. We may be the same people but we are a new government, and Lord Balt Ralok isn't technically a lord any more either."
Maximinus' face went pale. "What?"
The queen gave the floor over to Lady Protor who straightened in her seat before she spoke. "We checked our records. Lord Rak Balt Ralok officially rescinded his title as a kravah in order to make Octavio dictator over the domes. It's similar to how Queen Callie achieved her own position." Her eyes flickered briefly to Mansia but the young girl didn't so much as lift her head. She only seemed to be half listening to the conversation.
Lord Glittermine added, "I imagine it was a way of distancing himself from the other Octo Lords, who basically ruined the war effort with their meddling and infighting, otherwise he could have simply nominated Octavio to the position and given his support."
Maximinus stared at his hands. He couldn't believe this. Lord Balt Ralok had been called by his title almost his entire life. Perhaps it had simply been habit for the people or maybe he hadn't told anyone he had given up his title. Either way, as far as these people were concerned, he was no lord, regardless of his position in Splatsville. And they would use that as leverage over him.
The queen put her hands together on her lap. "I think we can solve that by simply reinstating his title. Of course, I can only do that with someone who has pledged their fealty.
Maximinus swallowed hard, unable to avoid nibbling the bait on the hook they were dangling in front of them. "So, if he pledges his fealty, you will recognize his status and acknowledge him as a lord?"
She smiled brightly. "Of course. We could hardly get any of this done otherwise."
Maximinus blinked and looked at her. "What?" He was so baffled by this sudden shift in tone that he forgot his manners.
That sparkling amusement in the queen's eyes returned, even more brightly than before. "We could hardly do a proper job of cleaning out Splatsville and integrating its people if the local lord didn't have the authority to do what needed to be done, could we?"
Maximinus just stared, his jaw threatening to go slack. She wanted to give Lord Balt Ralok his title back in order to actually give him authority not simply to force him to submit to hers? That was part of it, no doubt, but that was putting a lot of trust in him to help organize and integrate the octolings of Splatsville without trying to undermine her.
"I suppose that's true," he said slowly, trying to figure out exactly what the catch to this was. "I believe he would be more than happy to accept that offer."
The queen's smile broadened. "I'm glad."
"We would have to liberate the city first," Betanuss pointed out. "If he leaves and comes to the Ascendancy to pledge his allegiance it would tip off the other nations. They have their spies here."
Maximinus grit his beak behind his lips. She had a point. It was difficult even for him to slip out but nobody would miss Lord Balt Ralok leaving. If he was gone more than a day or two, they would know something was up and perhaps be forced to take action. The only reason they weren't was because they assumed things were moving according to their own timetable.
"There's also the issue of the other two clans in the city," Lady Protor added. "We wouldn't have the authority to go into places under their control and we are under no obligation to protect them except perhaps as an ally. But that would create an imbalance in the local power structure."
Lady Protor had gotten a surprisingly good grasp of Splatsville's base-level politics from the broad strokes he'd given them over lunch. It was true, having the homeland backing the Balt Ralok Clan alone would give them much more power and to the other clans it would just be trading one group of people trying to take over their territory for another, and there would be feelings of betrayal as well.
The queen sighed dramatically. "And that complication brings the situation somewhat out of my control."
Maximinus stiffened. "Um, may I ask what you mean by that, Your Majesty?"
She gave him a rueful smile. "I am queen of the Octarians. If the city was run entirely by you, it would be much simpler, but since this involves other entities that we may have to protect, this is more or less the extent of what I can do. I can make Rak Balt Ralok a lord again and I might be able to send some help, but there isn't a lot I can do on my own since this is something of an international matter. We'll have to ask for help."
Maximinus had forgotten that the Octarians being part of the Ascendancy meant they might not be able to act on their own since it was not a purely Octarian matter. It wasn't all that different from how Splatsville was run. Their own mission had needed the blessing of all three clans, after all, in order to assure the other two that the Balt Ralok clan was not trying to make deals behind their backs.
"Then what is the next step?" He asked.
The queen shrugged, looking nonchalant. "I guess it means I'll have to appeal to the Empress and she'll probably want to talk with all of you before she makes a decision. The army can't move without her permission and this whole issue will bring us into conflict with at least three other nations, maybe more. It's a bit of a mess, frankly. I don't know much about the political situation in the region but she will have a better idea. I'm sure you'll be able to work with her to come up with a solution."
Maximinus forced himself to breathe calmly, feeling his stress levels rise at the idea of having to deal with an even higher authority than the queen, and somebody who would not be swayed by feelings of kinship with the Splatsville Octarians. He didn't have carte blanche to speak for the other clans either. What progress could they possibly reach under those conditions?
I guess there's only one way to find out. But he was definitely going to need both his wives to help him blow off stress after this day.
"Got everything?"
Neo tapped her foot impatiently as she stood outside the Thoriar family house, watching as Tiyes carefully stuffed his books into the pannier of the formerly Black Steel Corporation motor sled.
"I think so," he replied. He looked up at nothing, perhaps checking a mental list of everything he needed. He carried a backpack as well, probably a journey pack, full of everything he would need to go on a trip.
"Are you ready?" he asked when his mental check was completed.
Neo grinned. "I was hatched ready. I've been waiting for something like this my whole life! Haven't you? This is just like the books we grew up reading!"
He began bouncing on the balls of her feet. Tiyes looked at her doubtfully.
"Except we're being extorted into it," he mentioned. "You do know they were threatening us, right?"
Neo flashed violet-red. "Oh please, that's not really threatening, they're just on edge because it's hard to trust new people and they have to be careful who they trust. Besides, don't you think it's cool that they wear masks?"
Tiyes winced slightly and Neo saw heat rise to his cheeks before he shook himself. What was that about?
"Well, it is an opportunity I can't afford to waste. She is right that I won't be able to find a suitable job here."
"I don't think that's true." Neo crossed her arms and glanced up the slope of the crater towards where her own house was. Without looking back she asked, "what did you tell your parents?"
"The truth, pretty much."
Neo's head snapped back around to look at him, mouth agape and mantle flared bright orange, dark blue spots of disbelief bubbling along its surface. "What? Seriously?"
"Seriously. I told them that someone had offered me a position that could lead to a job in the city so I couldn't afford to miss out on it."
"And they believed you?"
"It's the truth, isn't it?" He crossed his arms, a hint of purple tainting his natural brown colour. "There are benefits to being an obedient and responsible child."
Neo glowered at him. What business did he have acting all smug?
"What did you tell yours?"
Neo looked away, gently stroking Lil' Buddy. "Oh, you know, whatever works."
Tiyes narrowed his eyes then looked her up and down. "You haven't gone home, have you?"
"I did," she said defensively. "I returned the motor sled."
"But you didn't talk to your parents?" Tiyes was incredulous, his tone accusing.
Truthfully, Neo did feel bad about it, but she knew her parents would never give her permission and her mom would lock her up the second she stepped into the house. She was crossing a line and she knew it, but she couldn't go back now, not when the adventure of a lifetime was right within her reach and she would let nothing stop her from grabbing it.
"It'll be fine. Another grounding isn't going to make a difference whenever I get back."
"They're going to be worried about you."
"You told your parents I was going with you, right? They won't worry about me and there's nothing to worry about. I can take care of myself and I'm going to be with a bunch of other people."
"People we don't know," Tiyes countered angrily. He sighed bitterly, giving up on the argument. "Whatever happens it's your fault."
"Tch, you always say that."
"Because it's always true. Come on."
Tiyes mounted the borrowed Black Steel motor sled and started the engine. Neo sat behind him, which was a rare occurrence, and checked that Lil' Buddy was nice and secure before they headed back to rendezvous with their landship.
Neo had come up with the hiding place for the landship, tucking it into a narrow space between two large rocks a few kilometres from town that managed to hide even its massive form from view.
They drove up to the rear of the machine where Big Man helped winch the motor sled into the small internal garage where a matching spare sled also waited.
"Got everything you need?" the large ray asked, his tone friendly but also nervous.
"I think so."
Tiyes started taking out his books and Neo helped carry them out of the garage. Big Man brought them to the landship's map room just behind the wheelhouse.
An electronic map table took up most of the room's space with two computer terminals crammed into one corner. A small table was mounted in the opposite corner with a couple of chairs. They set the books down then went to the map table.
"What exactly are we gonna' do?" Neo asked, letting Lil' Buddy out of her bag.
"We have a heading from the shrine to start with." Tiyes pointed to the spot on the map where they'd marked the shrine's location earlier. They'd also drawn a line across the map that indicated the heading they were supposed to take. It intersected with a landmark on the map called Valley Rock, so that was where they would be going first.
Tiyes drew another line from Crater's Edge to the landmark. "We'll use the radio beacon to get our bearing to Valley Rock. Once we're there, we'll change to the heading the shrine gave us. The only real question is how far we're supposed to go."
Neo looked at him, skeptically. "You really think you're going to get the answer to that in your books?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "But if I can at least learn more of what the symbol means it might be a clue."
A soft cry interrupted their discussion and Neo heard Lil' Buddy making some excited noises. Neo went over to him and found the little salmonid with something squirming in his mouth.
"What'cha got there, Buddy?"
The salmonid let the thing fall out of his mouth onto the floor, wagging his tail and bouncing in place. Neo stared at the thing he'd dropped as it stood up on two legs, and only then did she realize her mind wasn't playing tricks on her; it was a humanoid shape and it was wearing clothes.
Big Man let out a squeak that seemed too high pitched for someone his size. "Tahlm, are you okay?"
Neo frowned. "Huh? Wait, this guy is part of our gang?"
Tahlm sputtered and he shook himself. Neo, now on her hands and knees, couldn't help but stare in amazement, seeing an octoling small enough to fit in her hand. He froze when he noticed her, like a small animal reacting to the presence of a potential threat. That thought tickled something in Neo, the thought of prey, and she licked her lips.
Someone grabbed Neo by her collar and yanked her away. "Maybe keep a respectable distance," Tiyes suggested.
Neo shook free of his grip. "I know, I know."
Big Man offered his fin to the tiny octoling and placed him on the map table. "Are you up to speed?"
"I think so," Tahlm replied. "Wish I'd been in the shrine though. I could have taken some notes."
"Oh well," Big Man sighed. "I guess I'd better get us moving. We don't want to get caught by Black Steel."
"Where are the girls?" Neo asked.
Big Man paused in the corridor and replied, "sleeping. Frye hasn't slept since yesterday and Shiver only had a short nap earlier so it's best to let them rest for now."
Neo arched an eyebrow. "Aren't you tired?"
Big Man smiled and patted his front. "I have a slower metabolism than inklings or octolings. I can stay up for a while."
Confident, the big ray shuffled to the wheelhouse to resume their journey. Tiyes went to his books and Lil' Buddy began exploring other places in the room.
Neo knelt next to the map table and rested her head on her arms, staring at Tahlm. She'd never met such a small sentient creature. It was like a fantastical creature from her novels and she couldn't help but be fascinated.
"Hey, I'm Neo. Sorry about Buddy, he's just naturally curious."
Tahlm shook his foot, as if to remove some imaginary drool stuck to it. "I noticed. Not exactly how I wanted to first meet a salmonid. I didn't know anyone kept them as pets."
Neo tilted her head side to side, searching for the right words. "Well… he's more my buddy than a pet but I guess that's close enough."
The little octoling sighed then bowed respectfully, one hand over his chest. "I am Tahlm Mildendo. It is an honour to make your acquaintance."
Neo giggled. He's just like a little prince. Even before they'd found the treasure this adventure was rewarding her in so many different ways already. She had no regrets.
Half an hour after the landship began to move, Tiyes entered the wheelhouse. Big Man was in the right-side driver's seat, humming a song to himself as he carefully navigated the vehicle among the rocks and dunes.
"Mind if I use the radio?" He asked.
Big Man glanced at him over his shoulder, a worried look on his face. Tiyes didn't know too much Skate but he still understood when re replied, "Um… why?"
Tiyes mantle rippled burgundy with frustration. "Because Neo is basically running away from home. She didn't tell her parents what we're doing. I just want to make sure they get a message telling them that she's okay and that I'm going to look after her as best I can. They're good people and I just don't want them to drive themselves crazy worrying."
Big Man grimaced then nodded and resumed driving.
Tiyes went over to the communications station and switched to a frequency he knew the radio operators at Crater's Edge would pick up. He just hoped he wasn't about to make a mistake. He could only imagine how Neo's parents would react and he wanted to think even less about the punishment that would be awaiting her when she returned.
He suspected that this group wouldn't be as tolerant of Neo's antics as her parents either. This was going to be an interesting trip.
Author's Notes:
A lot of you were looking forward to this chapter and I hope you weren't disappointed. We finally see Queen Callie once again, for the first time since the Epilogue of Sister Golden Eyes.
Maximinus might have convinced her, maybe, but he still had the Empress herself to deal with. Will she give them the army and support they need? Keep reading to find out.