Kiera took off the visor and set it down with a sigh of relief. Two days of exams were finished. A message on the screen directed her to wait for one of the proctors to escort her to check out. She hoped it was Sergeant Savage, not only was he cute, but he had taken a liking to him even though they hadn’t spent much time together. The wall opened and her wish was granted.

“Hi, Sergeant Savage,” she greeted standing up.

“Congratulations on finishing your exams, Miss Sol,” the sergeant replied, “Please follow me.” Kiera resisted replying with a flirtatious “yes sir” and followed him without a response. He led her through a different path through the building and once outside to a smaller building near the entrance. “This is the administration building where they will get you checked out.”

“Thank you Sergeant,” Kiera said, “For this,for making sure that we would be alright with the boys, and now that we’re finished with the exams, for bringing Tracksuit down a peg.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck in all your future endeavors.”

“You, too, sergeant.” Kiera turned and walked into the building.

The checkout procedure was just like check in. She returned her PUC and was given a small bag that contained the clothing she had left in the trunk and her commpad. Kiera had assumed she would have to go back to the barracks to retrieve her clothes. The clerk told her that her results would be delivered within six Imperial weeks; Imperial time was based on the rotation of Orlan, the Capital of the Empire. She thanked the clerk and then walked out of the building into the waiting area where the examinees could catch a ride to the space port, into the local town, meet up with each other, or their families.

Kiera turned on her commpad and looked around for any of her friends that had already finished, while sending a message to Emily and Jac that she was done. Emily may have spent all her time with Kiera, but she thought it was dumb that her handmaiden wasn’t supplied with a commpad and bought her one. A message from Emily asked her to meet them at the drop off location in Port Albia, the city that was home to the moon’s spaceport. That suited Kiera fine, it would let her find her friends, or at least give her a chance to. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and lifted her up. Kiera yelped and then laughed when she saw they were green.

When Gargax put her down she leaned back against him, and looked up with a grin, “Did the practical exam and interview go better?” she asked hopefully, “Who do we need to talk to, to let me kidnap you for some fun?”

“Yes, it—” he stopped himself and cocked an eyebrow, there were a few ways he could interpret the question and her grinning face and casual contact implied much. Instead of finishing his thought he looked around and pointed to an officer standing to the side dressed in the green and black dress uniform of the army. “Him.”

“Then let’s go ask him,” Kiera said, taking Gargax’s hand and casually walking towards the officer.

The officer nodded to Kiera and then spoke to Gargax in a language that consisted of short words and harsh consonants. Gargax seemed to struggle with it just as he had Imperial, he spoke slowly, pausing several times to find the words he needed. The officer, a Major based on his rank insignia, didn’t rush the ork or interrupt him. When Gargax finished speaking he looked at Kiera and then spoke again to Gargax, before turning his attention to Kiera once more.

“Hello, Miss Sol. If you would take responsibility in seeing that Gargax reaches Albion Station in time to make the ship to Pendallas then I see no reason why he couldn’t accompany you to the planet. The ship leaves tomorrow at eighteen hundred hours local time,” the man said.

Kiera blinked, “Pendallas?” She looked at Gargax and then at the major, “Why is he being sent to a penal colony?”

“It’s a unique situation. He was found on Eskar as a slave to the galvians. When the attack near the compound he served came under attack, he took the opportunity to incite a revolt. That revolt sent thirty raging orks to decimate the defense and the attacking Imperial troops. He has a kill count of at least twenty-five imperials and likely two to three times more in galvians. Of the orks he incited only two were left alive. He was found squatting over the still living galvian compound commander. The barristers are still arguing whether he should be on trial for murder or if he deserved citizenship for aiding the empire. Once he understood what was going on. He invoked the right of tribulation to the Imperial Prince who was examining the colony. The ork’s invocation was granted, which is how he ended up here,” the major said.

Kiera turned all her attention to Gargax, completely speechless after hearing Gargax's story. Gargax looked at the major and spoke a few words in orkish.

“I have escorted him, and another ork, to this exam. During the entire trip he was composed and quiet, nothing like a typical ork. The girl, on the other hand, was everything that I expected an ork to be. He also spoke highly of you.”

“Thank you, Major,” Kiera said, “If you would send everything I need to know to get him back to Pendallas, I’ll make sure he arrives.” She handed him her commpad. The major placed it against his PUC and then handed it back after a few minutes.

”Gargax is now under your care,”

Kiera thanked the major again and then walked away with Gargax. They passed Zarona who shot Kiera a dark look, which she ignored. Kiera was too occupied mulling over what she had been told and busy sending a message to her eldest brother.

“Messaging a boyfriend?” she heard Kinsley asked, causing her to look up.

“Family, I don’t have a boyfriend,” Kiera says with a wink, “So you’ve still got a shot.”

Kinsley’s chinks turned slightly pink and grinned, “Be careful, Kara, in case you didn’t notice I’m an excellent shot. How’d your practical go.”

“Fine, it was showing me part of being a MCC pilot that no one ever talks about. Piloting a slow moving fortress to an attack zone dozens of kilos away, You?”

“Ugh, travel. I think that’s the worst part about every branch. Mine went really well…besides the simulated hours of paperwork. What about you, Gax?” Kinsley said.

“Better than write,” Gargax said, “Swimming woman help with helmet, gauntlets. Went far away. Then spoke to…” he paused trying to find the word. Tamalyn joined them while he was thinking, but didn’t say anything when she noticed that the ork was deep in thought and Kiera and Kinsley were waiting for him. The girls exchanged small smiles and hugs without speaking. With a shake of his head Gargax snorted, “Not know.”

“The prince?” Kiera supplied, “The man who challenged?”

Gargax shook his head, “No, Prey.”

“The Warlord? A man with lilac skin, dark green hair, and antlers?” Kiera asked.

Gargax nodded, causing Kinsley to arch a brow, “You had an interview with the Warlord?” The ork nodded again, “Tam. Win trial?”

“I think I did well, it was pretty intense,” Tamalyn said, “The medical corps seemed to be impressed, the Colonel I spoke with was more curious about which branch I wanted to be attached to more than anything. I think he was surprised when I said I wanted to join the auxiliaries and be deployed where needed. The ASF Colonel tried to get me to commit to them.”

“Maybe we’ll get to serve together after all!” Kiera said, “The academies won’t start for a few months, come hang out with me on Albion and I’ll ask Jac to give you a crash course in piloting!”

“You’re just nice to everyone, aren’t you?” Alanna asked joining them, “You still cool if I crash your party? I know you threw out the invite because I was sitting with ya.”

“Totally cool, I like people and we gelled so it’s all good. All we need is Isaac and Robyn and we can take off,” Kiera said, looking around. While they waited they all exchanged information. Tracksuit stormed out of the administration building making a beeline for the shuttle to the city. Behind him Isaac came out shaking his head. Kiera waved him over. “Everything go okay?”

“No, I died,” Isaac said, he spoke quietly the remnants of shock hanging over him, “It’s why I took so long. They had to do an emergency release of the visor. My interview is rescheduled, but I can do it from anywhere. Medical just cleared me to leave.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tamalyn asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Isaac shook his head, “Thanks, but I’m still kind of processing it. I’m not even sure how long I was in the sim, but I was in the medical ward for a couple hours, at least that’s what they said.”

“Do you still want to come to dinner with us?” Kiera asked, “Distract yourself by hanging out with some pretty girls and a majorly handsome ork?”

“Yeah, we finished right?” Isaac said.

Robyn found them a few minutes after Isaac with a comment that it was harder to get her dad to agree to let her stay an extra day than the practical was. Her scenario was as an operations officer on a Navy ship. She had expected tactical, but had practiced all bridge positions. The group caught the next shuttle to Albus, pointedly ignoring the presence of Tracksuit, even though he kept glancing back at Gargax. Kiera didn’t take three steps out of the shuttle when Emily practically tackled her; it was the first time the girls had been separated for more than a couple hours. Feeling Emily’s arms around her dissolved the rest of the stress Kiera still felt. She thought she had prepared herself to be away from Emily, but clearly that had been an illusion. They moved away from the shuttle's exit to allow everyone else off, receiving a mix of glares and looks of amusement.

“I missed you so much, Kiera!” Emily gushed, “It was so strange to not have you nearby!”

“Me too, Em, I didn’t know just how anxious and stressed I was without you, I feel so much more relaxed now that we’re together. Let me introduce you to some friends I made!”

Introductions were made and greetings were exchanged. The shuttle to Albion wouldn’t arrive for another hour, but there was one immediately to Albion station, which would have a better shopping selection; if they were going to go out to dinner then they should at least change out of the training clothing they had been wearing. Tamalyn, Alanna, Robyn, and Isaac brought clothing with them, since they would both be spending a couple days traveling. Kinsley said they could just swing by her place to change, so in Kiera’s mind the only one they needed to take shopping was Gargax; the station would have a much better selection than the moon’s spaceport.

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“Emily, where’s Jac?” Kiera asked while Gargax was trying on clothing.

“He went back home. Since you told us that you were going to go out to dinner with your friends he didn’t want to intrude. I couldn’t wait any longer though,” Emily said, “He did transfer some money to me for a new dress, but honestly I’m feeling a little guilty about using it, I mean I—”

She yelped as Kiera stood up and pulled Emily to her feet, “Don’t feel guilty! Go pick something out! I’m going to wait here for Gargax so he doesn’t think I abandoned him!”

Gargax emerged from the dressing room a few minutes later, wearing denim pants and a blue and white plaid button down shirt. The blue brought out his eyes and complimented his skin, and the denim just raised his sex appeal; Kiera didn’t bother to hide her grin as she unabashedly checked him out.

“Yes,” she said, “Astria’s Tail, yes!” She said, “You look amazing.” The Ork grinned at her and she happily put her arm in his and escorted him up to the counter to pay. He kept the shoes the exam gave him; they all did. They were super comfortable and had some of the best arch support that Kiera had experienced. They also hadn’t asked for any of the clothing back; it would likely be used during their training anyway.

Emily picked out a knee length blue dress that revealed her arms and shoulders, held on by a strap around her neck. Isaac looked like his head was going to explode when he saw her and managed to stammer out a compliment that left Kinsley and Tamalyn grinning. The handmaiden had also chosen a red dress for Kiera, since she wouldn’t have thought to buy something for herself. From the way Gargax and the others looked at her, they approved. Emily had always had great fashion sense, but the smile she wore when Gargax openly stared at Kiera hinted at ulterior motives, even if Kiera wouldn’t be sixteen until the following month.

The other advantage to making a trip up to the station was the expanded options for landing destinations. They could take a shuttle directly to Adair, saving them some time. Kinsley had them wait outside a small apartment building while she went in to change and once she emerged, led them only a few blocks away to the Saturtarian.

It was a small restaurant off of a side street, there were only a few worn tables and chairs, three booths and one of the lights in the dining area was flickering. The smell coming from the kitchen more than made up for the restaurant’s appearance. A bell announced their entrance and by the time the door closed a slender man with light blue skin, rainbow colored hair, and bright yellow eyes had entered the dining room.

“Good evening, good evening! Welcome to the Saturtarian. Please sit wherever you would like! What would you all like to drink?” the man asked.

“Hey Talah, could we get some salla for everyone?” Kinsley asked, moving over to one of the tables, “do you mind if we push this to a booth?”

“Kinsley! Good to see you again, move whatever you need. It's so good to see you here with people! I’ll go grab some menus for your—” he paused, “Your exams are over aren’t they, are these…?”

“Friends I made at the exam,” Kinsley said, glancing at Kiera before turning back to Talah.

The man’s eyes turned bright pink and he headed towards the back, “I’ll go get you some menus and the salla, Mais will be so happy to hear about this!”

Gargax pushed the table to the booth and they all sat down. Emily, Kiera, Robyn and Gargax on one side, Isaac, Kinsley, Tamalyn, and Alanna on the other. Talah returned after they sat down, putting down a tray with eight tall glasses filled with a clear liquid and eight small cups with something that looked like round sugar cubes inside. With a small prism next to them He put down a pair of datapads that obviously had seen some use. One of the pads had a row of dead pixels at the top, and the other only showed images in black and white.

“Salla is a drink from the Sat-ula, region on Saturnaide. Just as the moon passes through the ring, so too must the sal bulb pass through the milas to become salla. First, choose your bulb. Then take the isal crystal and lift it above the milas, and then drop both of them into the milas. When the bubbles stop the salla is ready.” Talah’s eyes had become purple as he instructed.

Kiera didn’t hesitate and picked a bulb, the others followed suit. They did as instructed piercing the bulb with the isal crystal and dropping them both into the tall cup. Bubbles immediately formed as both objects touched the liquid, colors of all kinds filling the glasses. The bubbles quickly fizzled out leaving colored drinks in their wakes. Kiera’s glass was a swirl of yellow and orange, Kinsleys' was yellow and green. Looking around the table most of them had yellow and orange, only Isaac’s showed blue and green.

“Do the different colors have significance?” Kiera asked.

“Saturians are a very emotional people,“ Talah explained, “And the Salla is an expression of that. I will give you time to look over the menu and return.”

“Hey Talah,” Kinsley called, “Do you have the ingredients for maraca?”

“You know the answer to that,” Talah said with a grin, one eye turning yellow and one eye turning orange, “I’ll bring out a roll,” he swept up the menus and disappeared again.

Kiera took a sip of her salla, it tasted like sunshine and energy, a sweet citrus flavor that she couldn’t place, “Oh, that’s really good!” she commented, “It’s sweet but not overly so, does anyone recognize the flavor, it’s something citrus but I can’t put my finger on it.” Murmurs of agreement were heard from the others.

“I must have gotten something different,” Isaac commented, “Mine’s tart and a little bitter. More like a dark berry than something citrus,” he commented, “Still, it’s pretty good.”

They made casual conversation and spoke about their plans in the coming months while they waited for their test results and what plans they would make based on them. Gargax had put his arm casually around Kiera’s shoulders, she leaned into him a little but didn’t call attention to it. The smell from the kitchen became mouthwatering and grew stronger until a thin woman with her rainbow hair held in a bun slid what looked like baked bread in front of them. Her eyes were a bright pink color as she took in the young people.

“I see happiness at this table,” she said, her voice full of joy, “It makes me happy to see all of you here. Her gaze lingered on Isaac for a moment, “Even more that our Kinlsey brought you all here. Please take as long as you wish, my name is Mais and don’t hesitate to call out if you need anything. Talah will be out in a moment to cut the maraca.”

She disappeared and Talah once more came out with some kind of cleaver in his hand. He began to deftly cut the maraca in one inch slices, something white and gold oozed out of it like flowing molten cheese, spices assaulted their noses and glimmering glances of meat were almost too tempting to have to wait. There was no silverware and no plates on the table, and once the Saturian finished his job, he stepped back and simply said, “Enjoy.”

None of them hesitated. The food almost melted in their mouths, the bread was soft and crisp at the same time, the melted morsels existing as both a solid and a liquid at the same time. Spied meat slid over their tongues, paired with some kind of sweet vegetables as it vanished to their stomachs. There was no conversation as they ate, each of them lost in the euphoric meal. Soon the salla and the maraca were gone and everyone was comfortably full.

A sense of peace and relaxation filled the table, the simple comfort of a good meal and good company filling their spirits. Then a sweeter smell slid around them, tantalizing and promising their taste buds that they weren’t finished yet and promising that their stomachs still had room for something more. Mais appeared again with a cake covered in rainbow frosting and topped with prismatic sprinkles. Her bright pink eyes almost provided more illumination than the unreliable light. Once more she disappeared and once more Talah appeared brandishing a knife. It sliced through the cake, eschewing all signs that it had cut anything. Talah whispered “Enjoy" and then once again fled.

The cake was spongy and sweet, eaten much slower but enjoyed just as much as the maraca was. The salla glasses disappeared and were replaced with shallow cups holding a spiced liquid that complimented the cake. Kiera didn’t know if she had a meal half as good as this one when she was at the palace, and her father employed some of the finest chefs in the empire.

“I know what I’m going to do,” Emily whispered into Kiera’s ear as she rested her head on her friend’s shoulder, “I’m going to ask Mais if I can work here and learn how to make this delicious food.”

“Once you do, I'm hiring you as my personal chef, but make sure to learn how to cook other things. I think I would die of bliss if I ate that everyday. Not a bad way to go, though,” Kiera murmured, earning a giggle from Emily. “Kins, anyone that ever accuses you of having bad taste is a bald faced liar. This recommendation was amazing. I don’t understand how there isn’t a queue around the block waiting to get in.”

“There are few people who are willing to try food that doesn’t originate within the empire,” Talah said, “Or that is made by non-imperial citizens.”

“You’re not citizens?” Kiera asked.

“No, we have residency, but not citizenship. I fear the day the Empire is no longer friendly with the Kingdom,” Talah said. “You are free to remain as long as you wish, is there anything I can get you?”

Shaking heads accompanied murmurs of thank yous. The Saturian nodded and then set a small datapad on the end of the table, “Whenever you are ready.”

Gargax softly snored in his seat, prompting Kiera to motion for the databad. She looked it over and then tapped it on her ID Band, doubling the bill with her tip.

“What’s our share?” Tamalyn asked.

“My treat,” Kiera replied, “I’m the one that invited everyone out. I also got a message from my brother saying we’re all welcome to go crash at his place. That includes you, Kins.”

“The party never stops with you, does it, Kara?” Kinsley grinned, “Why not? Sounds like fun.”

They reluctantly got up and filed outside to wait for a taxi to take them to Jac’s. Kiera waited in the restaurant while Emily went to find Mais. They returned together, one of the Saturian woman’s eyes glowing light blue the other a pale yellow. She caught Kiera’s hand, signaling she wanted to talk to her. Once Emily left, she spoke.

“We are grateful for your generosity, but it is too much. Feeding you and your friends, seeing how happy Kinsley is…that’s more than enough. Please approve the transfer of our repayment.”

Keira shook her head, “No. If anything it’s less than you deserve, Imperial restrictions on tipping being what they are. Your service, your cooking was all amazing. If you really want to make up for it, teach Emily how to cook. She’s great already and I am more than willing to pay you for her lessons.”

“Our traditions say that I cannot accept money for such lessons nor may I teach her,” Mias said, both eyes now blue.

“Traditions are peer pressure from ghosts,” Kiera quipped, “They only mean anything if you let them. Not doing something you want to that brings joy to others or yourself because it’s against tradition is just…” Kiera paused, trying to find a neutral word. SHe couldn’t. “Just stupid, in my opinion.”

Mias’s eyes flashed yellow as she gave a small laugh, “I suppose we cannot be exiled again for breaking tradition.”

“It would make both of us very happy. I get to help my best friend in the Empire and she gets to learn how to make ambrosia,” Kiera said, “and you’re able to keep importing what you need to make everything. I don’t see a downside.”

“Who told you about the ambrosia?” Mias said, her eyes turning green

“Wait, that’s a real thing?” Kiera asked, “I thought it was just a story!”

The Saturian woman’s eyes turned violet, “It is, and it makes maraca look like karg food.”

“Three hundred chips per lesson, plus the cost of ingredients,” Kiera said.

“Absolutely not. One hundred.”

“Two fifty plus cost,” Kiera countered.

Mias shook her head, those purple eyes glowing brightly, “I won’t accept more than one hundred.”

“Okay,” Kiera said, “One hundred for you, and one hundred and fifty plus cost for Talah.”

Mias’ eyes briefly turned red and orange and then the red changed to yellow as she shook her head and laughed, “I can see why Kinsley took a shine to you, well, another reason. You’re going to find some way to pay us that money, although I still don’t understand why. We’re not imperial citizens.”

Kiera used her commpad to bring up a contract, entered the details and sent it to Mais, “Because it will bring Emily joy. That alone is all the reason I need,” she smiled, “but it also will help two wonderful people, two artists thrive. My father has a deep appreciation for artists. Kinsley also cares about you, you care about her.”

The contract was signed and Kiera left the restaurant in time for the taxi to pick them up. The trip to Jac’s took an hour and most of the group was dozing by the time they arrived. Their sleeping arrangements had already been arranged and without any further thought they each found their beds and fell asleep.