It looked like a hospital room from a warzone. Tables were overturned with things strewn about with no pattern to it. The doctors were still doing their best; since they were some of the most successful and renowned, they were doing the best now that Empress Yitan was no longer resisting their efforts.

Throughout their years of training and practice, new tools had been invented for their trade. The old mark one hands and eyes were still the most useful in child birthing, unfortunately. One doctor sat down and reached in. Feeling something latch on, the doctor started gently pulling with the aggressive baby having taken the minuscule amount of guesswork out of the operation.

Yitan was partially sedated, receiving itraveinious glucos and blood simultaneously. The doctors made quick work of delivering the last of the quadruplets, kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in blood. Baby girl was just her mother, same striped fur and assaulting those trying to help.

A few more minutes and a lot of cleaning, then they would all be able to rest.

Meanwhile, back at the groomers; the good Captain had finished reminding the elderly trio of the many regulations that they had forgotten while Costan was bathed with the appropriate shampoos and soaps. The Palacial Official soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and even the various styling products were, in fact, also containing anti pestilence chemicals. The official products just smelled better, didn't cause allergic reactions, and didn't cause skin irritation.

"So, going with short cropped fur and crew cut this time," Heged asked.

"Short fur with a mohawk," Costan replied with a straight face.

Everyone else replied with a resounding "what?"

"Joking, short fur and flat top."

"Still a fairly serious style for someone so young, don't you think?"

Costan fixed Heged with a death stare that reminded Giagan of a particular drill instructor. Heged flinched, being reminded of how she used to be a barber in the Corps, how one Sergeant always looked at her... and always got the flat top. She managed to not salute under the sergeant faced glare of Costan.

"Do I need to remind you that I maintain my own housing outside of the palace, work two jobs, and am currently four semesters away from my doctorates in theoretical physics with a secondary major in applied physics? That the only thing stopping me from leaving the palace for good is my age?"

"Yes, and I assume you cured cancer too," Heged snarked as the three groomers assailed the shaggy fur with whirring clippers.

"He is not lying. He has not cured cancer, but he did invent a faster method of interstellar travel. Some respect is due to him for that feat of engineering."

Minutes passed by with Costan already zoned out, deep in thought about how to best proceed in his collegiate career. Heged and Giagan both took notice of the unresponsive state and kilometers stare. They stopped their back and forth, realizing that Costan was possibly having a flashback, meditating, or was just completely lost in thought.

"Shush, don't disturb him. He'll be much easier to groom like this. It's like how Sergeant Grimclaw used to zone out, but he doesn't come back with murderous rage in his eyes," Heged whispered.

The grooming was going well. They got all the long fur trimmed down short and Heged began work on the messy mop on Costan's head. She still had time before the other two of the triplets showed up for their appointment. It was not a lot of time, and they were nowhere near as well behaved, but she still had time.

Heged was wrong about having the time. She was almost done, only finishing up around the ears with a pair of scissors. The door flew open, slamming against the wall, and something tackled her mid snip.

It was revealed to be two someones that tackled her as Heged got her bearings from her new position on the floor. The door was open, and the scissors had fur and blood on them. Two caretakers entered and started wrangling the unruly children. The room was made a mess in short order, but Heged felt the stare.

That stare, Sergeant Grimclaw's signature, murderous rage filled, looking through you like you're just another target on range day stare. The flat top and blood on his face really sold it. Heged, old as she was, didn't say a word. She just rolled over and started doing pushups.

The room got quiet and still as everyone realized that Costan was bleeding rather profusely and issuing each of them their own dose of the "I fucking dare you" death glare. Giagan wasted no time, radioing it in, retrieving the first aid kit, already having it open and pulling out items by the time everyone else realized that Costan was critically grumpy and mildly mutilated. Basic first aid was rendered.

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The siblings, not able to stand the sight of the blood, were carried away like the yellow and orange fluff balls they were. Maybe there were spines and brains hidden under all that fur, Costan could only hope. Then again, he was the weird one.

Costan was carried by Captain Giagan again. This time was because Giagan was taking him to the medical wing while keeping a hand clamped down on some gauze around Costans halfway detached ear. Heged always caused him to lose a drop or two of blood, but this was bad enough that she wouldn't be going anywhere or doing anything until the investigation was over.

The doctors were exhausted, having dealt with Empress Yitan for thirty six hours and finally got all four new additions to the Royal Family brought into the world. They were neither enthused or exhilarated by the sight of Costan being carried in and partially covered in his own blood. Not to mention the eldest child's twenty fifth birthday ball that was coming up that night, alcohol poisoning was expected.

"Captain Giagan, Costan, what new injuries do we have today?"

"Heged tried to cut my ear off but only half succeeded."

"No need to be dramatic, Costan. Just let me have a look."

"Doctor Shinyo, Costan is not being dramatic. The ear is half detached, but I suspect she was not actually trying to remove it."

The doctor hesitated for a second as her brain switched to a more functional pathway. "I'll prepare surgery and call the specialist."

Elsewhere, the decorations were going up and displays being assembled. The ball was going to be as extravagant as possible on the not so small budget. People only have their twenty fifth birthday once, and it is customary for them to have a party, usually it is also their first experience with alcohol as well. The party is more for others to watch how they handle alcohol.

Costan would not be allowed to attend because he was twelve, but would not be getting much sleep due to the festivities. People getting drunk and laughing at someone getting way too drunk while loud music plays. Downfall will be it being broadcast, everyone gets to watch her drink and act a fool with the upside being the banquet beforehand. Everyone takes part in the banquet, typically.

Good food and drinks that didn't contain alcohol, Costan dared to hope that the medical stay would be short enough for him to enjoy some of the roast or desserts. Anyone who knows the universe at all would have known that he shouldn't have. The specialist arrived and got a good look at both ears, going so far as to break out the bio scanner.

"Well, bad news is that you have a lot of scar tissue in both ears already from what is likely similar run ins with Heged. Good news is that we can have them both as good as new," Kelvke, the reconstructive surgeon said.

"Okay, how long's this going to take?"

"If we start now, probably until late afternoon or midnight."

"Couldn't you just stitch it up and do the operation after the banquet?"

"Unfortunately, the food would have an effect on the analgesics, we can't risk you throwing up in the middle of surgery. We want what is best for you Costan. Sometimes what is best interferes with what we would like."

"Can I watch it then, it's going to be broadcast live worldwide so everyone can see the mess hiding behind the sobriety."

"Okay."

The doctors had him lay down. Then they gave him something that made him numb all over and unable to move. They put a couple of tubes down his throat and got to work on his ears. Costan spent the rest of his afternoon, the evening, and most of the night rethinking his predicament while watching his family eat and drink.

He watched as they all had a good time while he was in a waking hell. How his eldest sister drank herself stupid and blabbered on about meaningless drivel, he hated it. Then she said some remarks about fur color, and he decided that maybe indifference towards her was a little too good for someone who just called him, and everyone else with black fur, completely evil.

Even the doctors were taken aback, pausing just to parse that for a second, before continuing their work with commentary.

"She just caused herself a lot of headaches and likely lost her chances of being named successor," remarked Doctor Shinyo.

"To think that she would say that... doesn't she know that nobody becomes the successor without the Emish Communities. Their leader is Emish the Immortal, the black furred one who can't die of old age and whose wisdom kept starvation to a minimum during the Modification Plague."

"I remember that from an old book I read. The Emperor Tintas rushed out a modified food source, only for the plants to be more susceptible to disease and pestilence. Emish warned the Emperor, but Tintas didn't listen. So Emish had his communities stockpile as much food and unmodified seeds as possible, saving millions only to decline the offer of the throne after Tintas was executed."

"That was six thousand years ago, if I recall correctly."

"The Rock Falls Incident?"

"Yes, the high altitude asteroid detonation that wiped out all electronics and nearly put us back in the stone age?"

"Only for the Emish to teach everyone how to make the stuff to survive and advance again, only a thousand years ago."

The video screen continued to play her babbling and drinking until she stopped ranting on about not understanding why the Emish are Emish and black fur is evil. She moved on to the military, particularly the Northern Wastes Military Academy. Everyone felt how bad she was about to mess up, but it was like freighter wreck. It was slow and horrifying, but none could ignore it or look away.

"Usually these things just help weed out the bad choices of successors, but this is bad enough that Emperor Karcos may have to make amends," said Kelvke.

"Look, even the Emperor doesn't know what to do in the face of that."

The camera had panned over to show the usually regal Emperor Karcos completely flabbergasted in the face of his daughter's unapproachably horrible statements. She somehow managed to say very upsetting things, most half true at best, about the military, the Emish, the aliens, the Common Caste, and everyone with black fur within a single drunken tirade. Her political career was pretty much already over.

Then she doubled down. Yidas was committing political suicide, and being very thorough. She went as far as to call Costan "an evil retarded negro midget" on live television. Nobody was going to be backing her as a successor. It wasn't the first time someone had done that; however, most of the time there was a small group of individuals that still tried to support them.

Every society has it's outliers. Some purposefully throw a chance, others have completely deranged beliefs, some are in it for twisted, dark humors.