[This story no longer fits within the modern canon, although some version of this story will be]
A sigh rose from the depths of the mountain of papers and pillars of books, blending with the quiet hum of a holo-console. Several trays of half eaten food and countless cups, half filled with once-hot drinks littered every open surface. A lonely light illuminated the mess, giving the room an ominous feel, with towering, half seen shapes looming out of the shadows. A knock interrupted the near-silence of the office.
“Come in,” called the hidden inhabitant, voice muffled by the surrounding stacks.
“Mi’lord, while I admire your dedication to your work, the staff begged me to remind you they do not go home until you do,” A wiry draiker said stepping over the mounds of book
“Hmm? Oh Raseffe, you know that’s not necessary,” The hidden voice said, papers rustled as if the hidden inhabitant had moved.
“Mi’lord, they told me to tell you that they insist it is,” Raseffe said, his voice wry. The inhabitant sighed again. More papers rustled and the quiet hum of the holo-console fell silent.
“Am I not the Highlord?” The voice said as more papers rustled.
“Yes mi’lord,” Raseffe drawled.
“Am I not a war hero?”
“Yes mi’lord.”
“Then how is it I find the staff of my own office making demands of me?”
“Begging mi’lord’s pardon, but you aren’t the scariest thing out there,” Raseffe grinned.
“Stars, ial! I know that, but who could convince my staff to disrespect me?”
“Your wife, mi’lord.”
“My wi- zarvok! Raseffe what time is it?” The voice grew frantic.
“Nearly the eighteenth hour of the twelfth day of the ninth month. The holiday of Ashizuiryik to be exact,” Raseffe grinned.
“Thank the stars, there is time,” The draiker stepped out from his cave of books and papers, hastily shrugging on his coat.
“Raseffe, tell the staff they are dismissed and I am going to need-“
“The crystalline flowers arrived minutes ago. Vinlor Katsoutoiaven asked me to inform you that the necklace your wife said she loved, and that you were going to buy; but undoubtedly forgot to; is waiting for you at the door. As your humble valet, I took the liberty of bringing your favorite suit over from your home,” Raseffe grin widened as he rattled off the list, it had taken the better part of the afternoon to prepare but the shock on his lord’s face made it worth it.
“Dying stars! Does everyone think I need help?” The other draiker sighed, rubbing his temples as blood pounded through his head.
“Which reminds me, the chef wants me to tell you that if you don’t eat your vegetables and all of your food she is going to bring you the food herself and make you do it.” Raseffe added. The other draiker sighed and muttered curses under his breath. Raseffe scooped up a half full cup and doused the blackened corner of the door almost before it burst into flame.
“I get no respect…”The other draiker groaned. “Raseffe I’m sure you’ve already predicted my next order so I am not going to waste my breath but if you call me ‘mi’lord’ one more time, I’m throwing you off the balcony.”
“Begging your pardon, but I used to clean your diapers, mi’lord. If you should try to throw me off the balcony, I will punish you like I used to,” Raseffe huffed. He bent to collect some of the detritus that was gathering an unacceptable distance away from the desk.
“That was over eight thousand years ago! Its Aroven, I’m not your lord; after all you cleaned my diapers,” Aroven Jirvaerka flashed a grin.
“Need I remind you that it is your anniversary today and you are running late?” Raseffe said bowing noncommittally. Aroven spat a curse and rushed out of the room, Raseffe following behind, a grin plastered on his face. He handed the tray of dirty dishes and mugs off to a waiting servant.
Aroven scrambled into the small bedchamber attached to his private office, an unloved, if useful, necessity for his job. Raseffe dutifully handed him the various pieces of the suit, tugging and straightening mistakes as he went. Raseffe paused for a moment to take in his charge, smiling approvingly. The Aroven Jirvaerka who had fled his private office had hardly looked like one of the most powerful leaders in known space, he’d had ink stains on his hands -ancestors knew where the ink had come from in this day and age- bags under his eyes and a general air of the unkempt scholar. Neither tall nor particularly handsome, with close cropped black hair balanced against his grey skin, Aroven was a shockingly average looking draiker from a distance.
Everything changed when you got closer, his burning aura of command became an all-consuming force that inspired and drove those around him. His eyes held the true force of will, a glint of star-forged steel tempered by honest compassion.
Carefully balancing the necklace box with the delicate crystalline flower bouquet, both ialoran hurried through the elegant halls of the Iradathkin palace. Aroven pushed a bit of power into the delicate structures of the beautifully gentle flowers and felt them strengthened with a smile of satisfaction. By the time he reached the front gates, there was a small convoy waiting for him.
Aroven slid into the back seat of his speeder as Raseffe admonished him, “Aroven, I can’t begin to guess what you had in mind, but I must insist you be careful with those flowers. They are perhaps the finest ever grown and I must warn you that if you tamper to much with its fundamental structure, they will be destroyed.”
“Raseffe relax. Even I can appreciate perfection, I wouldn’t dream of altering the flowers beyond a weave to help protect them.” Aroven grinned. Raseffe opened his mouth to give more advice but he scowled.
“Why do I bother?” He growled. “Be sure to tell the Highlady I am the only reason you are running on time. Did you need anything else?”
“Take the night off, Raseffe, you’ve more than earned it. And thank you, I’d still be in that cave if it wasn’t for you, and see if we have any room in the budget for giving the palace staff a bonus, they deserve it.”
“This is why you get ‘no respect’ mi’lord, you’re too kind.” Raseffe bowed his head. Aroven made a face and nodded his farewell. The three vehicles sped silently out of the palace, accompanied by the invisible spread of racing security programs, assassination wasn’t common in the Imperium but it wasn’t unheard of either. Aroven took a deep breath and sank into the seat, he watched the city of Iradathka roll by. A silent play of lights and life flashed by his window, they were almost-intimate glimpses of another’s world; silent, brief scenes of ordinary life. Aroven envied the draikers on the far side of his window, they could live their current lives without a worry about how each of his/her decisions affecting billions spread across galaxies.
“Highlord, sir?” the driver asked over his shoulder.
“Yes?” Aroven shook himself out of his reverie.
“We’re arriving now.”
“Thank you…” Aroven’s voice was filled with a question.
“Veph, sir. Corporal Veph Mievu and my partner Corporal Luxiluv, Eternal Watch.” The ialar riding shotgun tapped her forehead by way of salute, her eyes warily scanning the surrounding cityscape.
“Air?” Aroven’s voice was wry.
“My parents really liked how it sounded,” Veph shrugged, it was undoubtedly an old joke.
“Thank you, Corporals. Now I imagine you both have family you should be with today of all days,” Aroven said as the speeder entered the Jirvaerka’s modest, forested estate and the escorting security peeled off, giving way to house security. The estate wasn’t as large as some of the true Old Families’ estates were but given its location inside Iradath itself, it was still quite a prize.
“Yes, sir. But they understand we have work to do,” Corporal Veph said, he twisted in his seat, steering while looking at Aroven. Veph spun the speeder around and settled it gently in the courtyard of the elegant house. Aroven smiled, Veph had been showing off there.
“Take the speeder and go to your families,” Aroven put a hand on the driver’s shoulder. “I can take care of anything the Highlady and I need. Contrary to popular belief, I can take care of myself.”
“Sir, could you settle a bet for us?” Luxiluv shifted uncomfortably, undoubtedly their orders were to stick with Aroven all night but it was hard to argue security concerns while on his own estate.
Aroven’s smile widened, “Of course.”
“Did you chose this day to propose to your wife or was it an accident?” She blurted out, flushing slightly. Aroven chuckled and shook his head.
[This is no longer canon] “This isn’t our wedding anniversary, this is the anniversary of the day we met.” Aroven smiled at the memory. “I had been shot by a sniper on Lexx, and evacuated up to the hospital bay of the nearest ship. Silviana saw me as I was rushed through to intensive care. She says she fell in love with me then and made it a mission to make sure I was well. She happened to be sitting next to me when I woke up from the coma. It was love at first sight. We count the day I woke up as our anniversary, it just happened to be on Ashizuiryik.”
“So it was an accident.” Veph’s eyes were wide.
“Or fate,” Aroven countered gently, most people wouldn’t considered an anniversary on the holiday celebrating the dead fateful but it was hard to argue with life. “Is that enough to settle your bet?”
“Yes, my lord.” Veph bowed his head, having the good graces not to start counting out the bits he undoubtedly owed his partner.
“Good! Go on then,” Aroven ordered, slapping the side of the speeder jovially. “We won’t leave the estate and those guards aren’t ones I can dismiss because its Ashizuryik.” The speeder lifted off, both guards too young to argue with their Highlord effectively and grateful for the holiday. Flanked by a pair of guards in Jirvaerka dark-green, Aroven walked down the beautifully-crafted forest promenade. Necklace case and flowers in hand, Aroven barely slowed as the familiar gentle weight of the estate’s wards pressed against him. They relented a moment later, satisfied he meant no harm.
“Blessed Night, Vinialor Aroven,” a gentle, disembodied chirped as he stepped through the front door.
“Good evening, Criwas,” Aroven called out, “Where is Silviana?”
“Vinialaran Silviana and Kaewer are in the study,” Criwas answered, “Do you want me to inform them of your presence?”
“No thanks, I’ll surprise them… assuming
Raseffe didn’t call ahead of time,”
“Vinialor Rudino has not called me today,” Criwas volunteered happily.
“Thanks. Can you inform Captain Chivin that the Highlady and I will be leaving shortly?”
“Of course, Vinialor.” Aroven skipped up the main steps and into the private hallways of his home, the parts his family had truly made their own as opposed to the cleaner, showier public domain. It was an occasionally unpleasant balance to maintain, especially with a young child to raise but here, the private spaces outweighed the public. He thanked the ancestors that Drailleon media, in any of the nations, had never become as rabidly invasive as humanity’s media was. He couldn’t imagine living or, stars forbid, raising a child in such an environment. To a nearly the entire Iradathkin Imperium’s populace, his private life was his to deal with; they only cared about what his public life and the line between was anciently clear. Only his security, friends, family and enemies worried about his everyday routine and plan. Speaking of security… Aroven made a shushing motion with his necklace hand as he approached the study door, cutting off the greeting from the two dark-green liveried guards outside it. They both tapped their foreheads in greeting, grinning as they took in his appearance. One of them looked pointedly toward the clock further down the hallway and Aroven flashed a rude gesture at her. Unlike the Eternal Watch, the Jirvaerka House Guard steadfastly refused to be impressed by any of their charges and Aroven rewarded them with genial informality when possible.
“A fine thing it is, finding both of my beloveds tucked away reading on Ashizuryik,” Aroven declared, bursting through the door and into a small room overrun with books. Much like his private office, the house’s staff were losing the war against entropy here. Mugs and plates dotted the flat surfaces of the room, clustering around preferred nooks and crannies as mute evidence while small stacks of well-worn books roosted everywhere. This room was warmly lit, not
“A fine thing it is, an ialor who is running late on his anniversary night lecturing us for enjoying our unexpected downtime,” countered one of the ialaran inside, rising from her comfortable chair to hug him. “Happy Star’s Riot day, papa.” She squeezing her father hard. Black hair cut into a short bob and wearing light pajama bottoms and an old nightshirt with some cartoon character dancing on it, Kaewer was the spitting image of the most adorable twenty-two year-old daughter in the universe.
“Happy Star’s Riot day, chivlar,” Aroven replied, kissing his daughter’s forehead. She was growing up so fast but at least he still had most of a decade before puberty set in and she was still his child for at least another half dozen decades.
“You’re late, Jirvaerka,” The other ialar stated cool, sapphire eyes dancing in the study’s soft light. She was curled up on her favorite couch, book in her lap wearing an elegant cheongsam of light silver and rich sapphire, raven hair braided into an ornate knot and held in place with an emerald hairpin, a gift from Kaewer.
“Alas, I cut a swath through a field of inky barbarians to reach thine side, my dearest! Forgive my sin or I shall be forced to rip my heart from its home lest the pain undo me!” Aroven wailed dramatically. “Though the moon herself pales beside your beauty, I hope you can appreciate this token of my love.” A clever flourish with his right hand summoned the exquisitely delicate crystalline flowers before him.
“Oh my,” Silviana murmured, rising from her couch to pluck the flowers from her husband’s hand. “Such poetry and such wondrous flowers, I suppose I’ll forgive you this once.” She smiled and embraced Aroven with a gentle kiss.
“Happy anniversary, souhar,” Aroven muttered, nestling his chin into the crook of her neck.
“Happy anniversary, souhar,” Silviana replied, hugging Aroven tighter. Quiet gagging noises interrupted the moment, Aroven and Silviana separating with rueful chuckles.
Kaewer rolled her eyes at her parents and mimed puking into the small trashcan next to her. “Oh gross…”
“Oh be quiet, child spawn. I happen to know you’ve been all gooey-eyed over a certain ialar from the Guard for the past few months,” Aroven retorted, dabbing his fingers in a nearby water glass and flicking them at her.
“You didn’t,” Kaewer gasped, staring at her mother aghast. “Mom, don’t tell me you told him?!”
“She didn’t have to,” Aroven grinned. “I mean you’ve constantly following her around, asking her questions about everything and always wanting her to be part of your security detail.”
“Kaewer has also been helping Corporal Kirimus clean and repair her kit during her free time,” Criwas’ voice trilled from hidden speakers.
“Crrrriiiwaaaasss! Not you too!” Kaewer cried out, throwing a desperate gaze toward the omni-directional camera on the ceiling.
“Oh I see. It’s serious then,” Aroven said solemnly, one hand wrapped comfortably about his wife’s waist.
“It’s not like that! I just think she’s really cool, you know she’s a proper warrior like from the stories you always tell! And she’s super nice; letting me help her clean her armour and protecting me and stuff! So I just try and be nice back; and I really love the cakes Clenja makes so sometimes I’ll have him make me an extra so I can give it to her as a thank you,” Kaewer’s face almost black from embarrassment as her flush continued to darken. Aroven tried not to smile, she’d certainly inherited his skin and not her mother’s soft golden tones. Although neither of them was sure where her glittering emerald eyes had come from.
“Aah,” Aroven said slowly. “Now I see what you mean, how silly of your mother and I.” Kaewer looked to be both trying to sink into the floor and shoot lasers from her eyes at the same time. “Well if that’s the case, then you won’t get into any trouble while your mother and I go out to dinner?”
“Of course not!” Kaewer exclaimed, frustration full in her voice. After all, it wasn’t like she ever did things that’d get her in trouble. Expect for the time she’d lit her mother’s roses on fire… and the time she’d nearly caused the kitchen to explode. And the one time she’d turned all of her father’s socks purple for two months but that was really his fault, who washes all their socks at one time?! He’d wanted her to practice her alchemy homework more anyway.
“And you’ll be sure that you don’t bother Corporal Kirimus or any of your other guards too much while they’re on duty?” Silviana chimed in, with a pointed glance at the door. Most of the guards had been with the family longer than Kaewer had been alive and felt an immense affection for their littlest lady, something Kaewer had been shameless of taking advantage of when she’d been younger. Even now, the guards who lived on the estate would often make time to entertain the ‘chirufu’, or little wolf, if her parents were going to be busy. It had occasionally meant that she’d become incredibly annoyed at a guard who’d been on duty, and thus unable to give her the attention she knew she deserved. Aroven and Silviana had been quick to impress the concept of duty and obligation on their willful daughter as a result, but neither of them subscribed to the theory of an officer’s clinical detachment or a noble’s standing. They were a young house with some fantastic achievements behind them, nothing more and neither parent wanted to forget their roots. Informality was encouraged as far as possible as long as a strict sense of duty and gilu, honor, remained firmly entrenched.
“Of course, mom! I’m not twelve anymore you know! I understand the difference between on-duty and off-duty and why it matters! Is it okay if Relia comes over tomorrow?” Kaewer thought to add, she and her best friend had been talking about meeting up for a week now and she’d almost forgotten to ask her parents!
“As long as Raidon or Voria says she can,” Silviana said with a smile, both sets of parents were ecstatic that the next generation of Jirvaerka and Katsoutoiaven were such fast friends. “Now good night dear, don’t stay up all night reading.” Silviana hugged her daughter and kissed her forehead.
“G’night ma. Have fun being gross!” Kaewer added rebelliously.
“We’re gonna be super gross and snuggly in public!” Aroven added wickedly, kiss her forehead as well. “There’s a spare will-o-wisp in the fourth drawer from the right of my favorite dresser, just in case you want to stay up reading all night.” He whispered conspiratorially in his daughter’s ear.
“Aroven!” Silviana smacked his arm as Kaewer giggled.
“G’night papa, make sure you’re extra gross at dinner to embarrass mama.”
“I plan too!” Aroven exclaimed, ruffling her hair one final time before he lead his wife way, one hand still about her waist. Kaewer gave the House Guard who stuck his head in a thumbs up and settled back down with her book, it was a good Star’s Riot night and tomorrow would be even more fun!