Family Matters
© 2022 by M. Mitch Marmel

Thumbnail art by  sailoranna

Part Thirteen.


Tali:

Mmmmmm . . . there’s nothing like the feeling of raw power between your legs.

Right, girls?

I threw the VF-1 Valkyrie into a hard right turn at Mach 2, feeling the g-suit inflating in certain areas to protect me from graying out before I snapped the wings out to subsonic and executed a sharp roll to the left. High above me, Matt and Low were copying my movements as I threw my plane across the sky, but moving just a little more sedately.

Just a little. Maybe a few dozen kilometers an hour slower.

The flight control station aboard Musashi were monitoring us, as they were supposed to, but they were likely shaking their heads at the maneuvers I was putting the multirole mech fighter through. Sure, the flight was the standard qualification routine for all pilots, but the fact that I was going through the motions at Mach 1 or higher probably made them think I was nuts.

Hah.

Threat sensors came alive, telling me that there were five subsonic drones and one supersonic vectoring toward me. I dropped speed, slamming hard into my seat harness. I pitched the nose up and feathered the thrust into the cobra position as the Valkyrie began transition.

The Valk is both space- and atmosphere-capable, but its real party piece is its ability to basically hover on its jets while it changes from a plane into a huge anthro-shaped mech with a whomping big gun. Training protocol allows newer pilots to use the mech’s sensors to help them aim.

But I’m not a new pilot.

Steady paws and sharp eyes help out, and I’ve got both, so I lead the supersonic drone while it’s still ten kilometers out, clip it on my second shot as it jukes to avoid the first plasma bolt, and then relax and take out the five slower drones, farthest to nearest. I then transition back into plane mode as another six drones appear on my scope.

Aerobatics, mech shooting, aircraft shooting, and as I climb to form up on Low’s wing I grin at the small icon that just popped up on my heads-up display.

That little gold thumbs-up that tells me “You passed!” is pretty much worth all the effort, and the shower I’m going to have to take after I peel off my g-suit and uniform.

I hit my radio. “I passed, Commodore.”

Low’s mephit muzzle warps in a smile that I can see from where I’m flying beside her. Matt’s on her other side, a few meters higher. “Good, Tali. You’ll probably want a shower now.”

“You know me so well.”

The smile widened. “Just so you know, we do have another aircraft aboard the Musashi.”

“Oh?”

“Uh huh. Your Würger was added to the air wing before we left HQ. And you still need some more flying time.”

“Okaygottagobye!” I immediately snapped the Valkyrie into a leftward roll and dove, headed back to the big ship. Sure, I’m trained and cleared for most things with wings in the Temporal Corps inventory, but the Shrike is my plane, and I adore flying it.

And while the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 is a lot less powerful than the Valkyrie VF-1, the older design has a lot more character.

And then there’s that whole engine makes the airframe and my seat vibrate just right thing, you know?


***


Tessie:

["Attend, student of the hearts of home and hearth of myself, and bend the ear of yourself to the words that shall be spoken upon you by the tongue of myself."]

I had been scrubbing the floor, again, and I shoved my tiara back as I sat back on my haunches. [“Open are the ears of myself to the words that are proposed to be imparted upon me, Goodwife Fletcher, and know that my own lesser self attends to them."]

This is getting easier, and I’m thankful to the Lady and the Regalia for the help.

Because this is the third time I’ve scrubbed this floor in the past day and a half, and I think I’m starting to lose some of the fur on my paws and knees.

Mrs. Fletcher gave a single nod and gestured for me to finish up scrubbing. [“The arts expressed by the paws of yourself are passable in the sight of the Doe-Moot; knowledge has been gained in learning well the means to keep home and hearth well-regulated and orderly as the procession of the Stars in the sky. Know ye, however, that further work by your own self is required to learn the deeper secrets of the craft of hearth-keeping, as well as in the learning of the sweet and ancient language of the Vale, so as to obviate the need to speak in the uncouth words of the Skunks.”]

I smiled up at her. [“Know, Goodwife Fletcher, that I am attentive and eager to learn at your hooves.”]

That earned me another nod, as several more does entered the kitchen. They took great care to wipe their hooves, something I watched very carefully. I had to admit to myself that I was starting to see the point in this sort of thing. It sure was different from the way Mom kept the inn back home.

Mrs. Fletcher nodded to the other does and began,

“In the Vale where I was born
My dear Mama said to me
‘We’re not like the other Elves
In the wide world of Faerie.’

So we does do scrub and sweep
To keep our houses very clean
It’s a Service that doesn’t sleep
And you know just what we mean.”

The other does moved in time as they sang the chorus.

“We all live in a house that’s nice and clean!
A house that’s nice and clean!
A house that’s nice and clean!
We all live in a house that’s nice and clean!
A house that’s nice and clean!
A house that’s nice and clean!”

One of the younger does, not originally from Elfhame I mean, decided to add her two coppers.

“It may seem like lots of work
And the bucks just like to shirk
But now you know just what to do
So this rolling pin’s just for you!”

And she took a plain wooden rolling pin from her Elfintory, and while the other does sang the chorus, she offered it to me.

[“It is so,"] I said in response, [“that humility and gratitude are the emotions of the heart of myself in receiving into the paws of myself the gift of the implement of utility for the making of breads and pastries to nourish, and for the belaboring of the skulls of roebucks for the better to discipline them, a task unending in the need.”] I raised a finger, which caused Goodwife Fletcher to raise an eyebrow. [“As it is in the ancient ways to speak truth from the tongue of myself and nothing other, note I that the Sixth of His Name is diligent and caring in the performance of the duty of a mate, and in saying that with the tongue of myself I refer to the act of the venery for procreation and on occasion the intimacy.”] Well, more the latter in Sixth's case, though happily a bit of the former. [“I wish to bring to the attention of the brain-box of yourselves, though, the fact worrisome to the heart of myself that Sixth, while a fawn of the Vale to his hoof-tips, bears the lack of certain things, one and not above one which I relate to the ears of yourselves at this moment; namely, the lack of honest toil to occupy the day and night, for the Sixth of His Name neither sows, nor reaps, not turns the wood of the Vale, nor makes the beverage famed in the Shining Land. A buck with a profession upon his back is necessary for home and hearth, of which my own small self is a part, and attention with the brain-boxes of the Doe-Moot is called to this.”]

The other does glanced at each other, before nodding to me. Mrs. Fletcher gave me a slight smile of approval as I put the rolling pin into my Elfintory.

‘You’re doing well, kid,” the Regalia assured me.

I hope so.


***


Winterbough:

The next morning, I had taken the time to actually get into my ‘A’ uniform, rather than simply glamor my suit or my pajamas, and before approaching the embassy coaches I reached out with my Elf-mind and contacted Anatole Yawunce. “I beg your pardon for the intrusion, Ambassador.”

“Not at all, Master,” came a cheerful reply. “Good morning, and what can I do for you?”

“I wish to present my wife to you, and offer you a gift before you depart,” I replied.

“Your wife – oh! Oh, yes, Sergeant Sage did tell the Council that the does run things here in the Vale of Elfhame,” he said eagerly. “I shall dress for the occasion, of course. Shall we agree upon the third hour of the morning for the meeting?”

I glanced out my study window. It looked like the weather was holding.

So far.

I agreed that the time was acceptable, alerted the Watch by Elf-mind, and went to collect Anastasia.

Ambassador Yawunce bowed like a courtier over Anastasia’s outstretched paw after I had made introductions. “I am honored to meet you, First of Eldest,” the canine said.

“The honor is mine, Your Excellency,” my wife said with a gracious smile. “I regret that you cannot stay, since you must travel south to present yourself to the King-Emperor, but please know that you are welcome here.” She glanced at me, and I waved a private of the Watch forward. “I wish to present to you a gift representative of the products of the Vale. An example of our woodcraft, and some of our persimmon jam.” The private opened the lid of the ornately carved wooden box to reveal two small, squat stoneware jars.

“On behalf of the Governing Council of Eastness, I accept your gift, Your Highness,” and Yawunce gestured to an aide to take the box from the Watch private, who then backed away a few steps. The tall canine was about to say something else, but he paused as his ears flicked. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but I just recalled something. Have you a Nippy in Service?”

Anastasia blinked and looked at me before replying, “Her name is Nippy, yes. My mate relayed a letter she’d sent to Eastness.”

Yawunce reached into his Elfintory and produced an envelope bearing a wax seal impressed with two crossed open paws. “I was given this reply for her before I set out,” he said. “Could you please make sure that she receives this reply?”

I extended a paw. “I will see to it personally,” and he gave me the letter. I tucked it into my own Elfintory as the Yawunce and Anastasia exchanged a few more pleasantries, concluding with farewells and we stepped back as he entered his coach. I signaled to Dennis, and the wagon he was in started moving.

We waved as the last coach went past us, and Anastasia said, “I hope they get a warm reception when they reach the Royal Skunks.”

“I’m sure they will,” I reassured her.




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