"I hate swimming," I griped as Carrie and I pulled ourselves out of the water and onto the floating shuttle pad that was the closest to land there would ever be in this ocean.

"I told you it sucked," Carrie said while flopping onto her back looking at the sky. "You didn't want to admit it though, so now here we are."

"Cai, shuttle please," I ignored Carrie to ask for a pickup.

"Don't you ignore me Rickshaw," Carrie said. "I was right and you're not ever going to forget that."

"You were right about this one," I said. "Most of the time swimming can be fun. Remember that vacation you took on Earth? You went to the beach and learned to surf."

"I went to the beach because I wanted to wear a bikini," Carrie said. "I learned to surf because the guy that taught me was cute. When was the last time you did something because the girl was cute?"

"That was how I met a few of my girlfriends," I admitted. "But that's not the point right now. You went somewhere that you had to swim a lot, and you had fun. I still have those pictures you sent me somewhere."

"Is this what you two always do after a fight?" Sarah asked as she pulled herself onto the platform with us.

"No," we told her at the same time.

"Sometimes we're too busy trying to keep wounded people alive," I said.

"Sometimes I'm too busy trying to make sure Rickshaw doesn't charge off to the next fight without a resupply," Carrie said.

"I do not charge off without resupplying," I argued.

"You strategically run out of your sidearms and find your med kit empty?" she asked.

"No, the Scourge bring too many friends and I only have so many party favors," I said. "That's why you're there. You bring more party favors."

"Oh, sure I do," she said. "And I'll bet those times you go to grab a hatchet or a grenade and end up with a fistful of cheek is just because you thought you had more party favors."

"I do not grab a fistful of cheek," I said, "I strategically check to make sure my ass is still in one piece."

That set her giggling and then full out laughing as the shuttle began to lower itself onto the pad.

"We're led by crazy people," Sarah muttered as she moved to board the shuttle and I helped Carrie stand up.

"Better than being led by idiots," Carrie said.

"That happens sometimes too," I said.

"I hate having to wear this," I said as Carrie straightened my jacket and the two medals that adorned the front of it.

"You're announcing the official move that two Principalities are making to Horseman. You need to look your best," she said as she moved on to the pins that rested on my collar and marked my official position as the Chief Protector of the Deva Collective. "Now sit down there and hand me that comb."

"I can do this all this myself," I said. "You don't have to help me everytime I put this on."

"I've seen what you do when you're doing this without me," Carrie said as she put my hair in order. "This is much better for your image if I do it."

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"I hate having to worry about image," I muttered as I stared into the mirror for the first time in what felt like years. It probably was. That scar was new even though I know it's been there for a few years. I don't remember that crook in my nose, must have come from that time I broke it a few years ago.

"There," Carrie said resting her hands on my shoulders. "All done. And you look about a thousand times better than if you'd have done it yourself."

"Okay I admit, it does look better when you help me with this," I said, making her look happier with my words. "Come on. We're the Demigod and his right-hand Horseman. Don't want to be late for this."

"You know that these things only start when you arrive and not a minute before," Carrie said as she smoothed out her own dress uniform. Crimson for Knights, gold for Paladins, emerald for Wings, navy blue for Principalities, and Horsemen chose their color which would follow them to Demigod. Carrie had chosen purple for her uniform's trim; a far cry from the acid or neon green I expected her to choose.

"Do you have the rank badges?" I asked as I patted my pockets looking for them.

"I do," Carrie said with a smile. "Come on. You're the one worried about being late."

"We have a schedule that we said we'd keep and it looks bad if we don't stick to it," I said.

"When did you ever care about schedules?" Carrie asked as we made our way through the halls on Rallypoint to the ampitheater that we would be holding the ceremony in.

"Whenever I made them," I told her. She just chuckled as we approached the doors that led into the gigantic room that could house all one hundred thousand Wings and Principalities comfortably. They and various ambassadors and dignitaries from the Aasimar, Humans, and the Wardens of Life would be the ones attending this. The Horsemen were the generals that would be leading and overseeing the efforts to take back entire galaxies, a little ceremonious flair for this wouldn't hurt and would allow us to publicly announce the future plans for the Nephilim Armies efforts.

As we entered the massive room, Sarah made her way to us and began to talk with Carrie as I moved to speak with Yurnel. Her age was showing more now than it had been when she retired; cracks in her exoskeleton at her mouth, eyes, and wrists; a slight hunch to her back that had always been ramrod straight; a younger Gurtmic, likely one of her brood-young, hovered beside her to help with walking or anything else she needed. I just knew I was seeing my friend again.

"Yurnel, it's so great to see you," I greeted her with a smile.

"And you as well, Rickshaw," she said a happy note in her voice. "Have you met my son, Moult?"

As I waited for Cai to indicate the time to me, I continued to talk with Yurnel and her son. Sarah had taken Carrie and spirited her away for something, probably just to talk with her sister without a guy around, so I was left without my usual conversation partner. Eventually, Cai sounded a tone in my ear and alerted me to the time.

"I have to go," I told Yurnel as I gave her a hug before stepping away to attend my duties. "You two might want to find some seats before they're all gone."

"There you are," Carrie said as I walked onto the stage and made my way to the seat next to her. "How's Yurnel?"

"She's doing great," I told her. "Who's the master of ceremony for this?"

"Sarah. She wanted to know if we wanted a history of the Scourge, or just to welcome everyone and move it along more quickly," she answered.

"I hope you chose the second option," I told her. "I feel like I'm on display in a zoo or worse, a circus."

"You aren't the only one," she assured me.

"Welcome everyone," Sarah began to speak and started the entire ceremony. She thanked the various ambassadors and other high-profile visitors for their visit to us and promised to have the ceremony be quick so that everyone could mingle in the various gardens and smaller rooms that made up the Nephilim's Ceremonial Halls that had been built for just these sorts of events. Once she had done that, she turned it all over to me and I approached the podium for my own part in all this.

I made my own thanks to everyone and then began to launch into the future plans for what the Nephilim would be doing.

"To accomplish these efforts," I moved the ceremony toward the high-point of why everyone was here, "I will be raising two Nephilim Principalities to the Rank of Horseman and supplying them with fleets of their own that will allow them to accomplish what I expect of them within these next centuries. Principality Kyouka Yamato, Principality Julio Santigo, please approach."

"The both of you have displayed excellent capability to lead and guide Nephilim as you have overseen the operations of the Deva Collective here on Rallypoint and on Earth. Now I charge you with more. Command your new fleets and remove the stain that is Scourge upon the universe. Fight and challenge yourselves. I hereby raise you to the Rank of Horseman for your exemplary leadership these past four decades, Julio Santigo. I hereby raise you to the Rank of Horseman for your excellent combat ability, Kyouka Yamato. Congratulations, Horsemen."

As I finished speaking, Carrie moved forward and unpinned the rank insignia of Principality from the both of their uniforms and I moved forward after her and placed the Horseman insignia in their place. Carrie had designed the insignia with a sword, bow, and scales in front of a skull and had outdone herself in pissing me off with it.