A Mother's Crusade

[Ashar Kleor]

Six Weeks Ago - Csilla, House Inrokini Residency at the Frozen Lakes

You have always been strong, my sister. She imperceptibly tensed at Liar'Astair's compliment. She knew he meant well and that he had always looked up to her since they were mere children. He had been an adult for years, but he still had much to learn about life and hidden hardships. His support never went unnoticed or unappreciated but she still knew that certain topics were beyond his comprehension, regardless of how willing to understand he was.

Forcing herself to keep her stance relaxed beneath the rust colored outfit draped around her lean frame, she subtly dipped her chin. Her glowing red eyes searched for her sibling's as she spoke. Strength can be equally liberating and enslaving. She had been a most promising student since her early years and entered the military academy. While born in the Inrokini House, one of the ruling families of the Chiss Ascendancy, she had shown combat and flying inclination. The Inrokini took care of matters pertaining to industry and especially non-military science and communication. She had taken after her mother's bloodline, the Kleor. Despite being a more minor family, the Kleors had given many talented officers to the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force over the centuries. She had followed in these footsteps and had become a decorated pilot who had served in both the Chiss Expansionary Fleet and the Chiss Defense Fleet.

You know that you could get a position as military adviser for either the governors or the senate. She stopped on her tracks, her gaze drifting to the vast iced plains visible from the patio they had reached. I belong in the skies. You know this as well as I do. This was only part of the answer and they both knew it. 'Our House has done all they could to support me over the years, but I have brought unwanted trouble upon us.'

Liar'Astair's mouth turned into a thin line. You were the victim. You weren't the criminal. She canted her head to the side, her fingers finding concealment beneath layers of fabric, hiding the fists they were forming. The criminal is still the one with the upper hand. I did all I could, but I do not wish to bring more ill to our House. This is why I have to go. Retirement in this estate isn't for me. I would go insane before a week and my son also deserves to have a life where he doesn't need to hide.

Her brother knew that she had made up her mind, but he had still taken leave from his work with the senate to speak to her just in case. He will be an outsider where you plan to go. Will this be better? She considered his words for a moment, recognizing his point. Yes. This will be. He won't be told his mother is a defiant harlot who sullied her family's name. He will not have to justify his lineage over and over again. Nor will I.

To her answer, Liar'Astair raised his voice, something he rarely did. I forbid you to ever call yourself as such. We all know what happened. She stared at him, her eyes turning into a death glare. This is the message my former husband ensured to spread and is still working on doing as such. Even if he had had no respect for me as a person, he should have shown some to my house! Mar'Tomos'Csapla had been her husband for six years. The marriage had been arranged between their families, both ruling ones, when they had just entered adulthood. She had agreed to this, even when her birth was higher within her house than his was in the Csapla family. He had shown extensive talents for colonial affairs and with her dedication to the military life, their match had seemed blessed by the maker.

Yet, things had turned sour very soon when he had become abusive towards her. For a few years, she had focused on her career, hoping that this would help ease the pain. Divorcing, especially in such high circles was extremely difficult. Her spouse had tried to take her away from her career, and her fierce service had driven him mad. He had eventually managed to repudiate her under the pretense that she was unable to bear him an heir, though she had already known back then that fertility issues weren't from her side.

Her family, as well as her superiors, hadn't used her divorce against her, and had continued to support her professional success, as well as her abnegation to her house's honor when she had done her best not to cause any troublesome ripples on the political scene of the Ascendancy. Higher ranked officers in the Military Forces didn't belong to their family anymore, but she hadn't got this high in the hierarchy, and her former husband would have still caused problems anyway.

I want my son to grow up without being reminded of what happened to his mother. And I want our family to be cleaned from any further stain. She still remembered how her former husband had arranged for her to be assaulted, shortly after their divorce, because he hadn't been able to stand how the divorce had set her free. Years of abuse hadn't been brushed off in a single gesture, but she had indeed begun her life anew back then. At least, she had done so until this fatal day. She still had nightmares over this. She had fought back but hadn't been able to save herself before the damage had been done. At least, she had been able to kill her aggressor, though she found no pride or peace in having done so, just a bitter sense of justice.

We are proud of Ithr'Garrus'Inrokini. I am certain he will give you gray hair before you know it. She couldn't help the smile that showed up on her lips. There was a saying among her people that only exceptional offspring caused gray hair to their parents. Garrus had been conceived by force. When she had found out, she could have arranged to terminate the pregnancy, but she had chosen to keep the child. While carrying him, she had become a Navy instructor before regaining her place when he was a few months old.

No matter how much time passed, her former husband and his followers, as well as house members, chose to use her to tarnish the Inrokini name and she couldn't allow this anymore. This was why she had to go.

She had to protect them all. It was the just choice.

You will be missed, sister. I hope you visit us at some point. She extended her hands towards her brother and they clasped each other's forearms, bowing their heads a little. Who knows? Maybe you will be the one visiting us as well. She knew that he had little interest in leaving Chiss space, as most people of her species did. He didn't hesitate. If this is what it takes to see you and my nephew again, then, yes. I will.

[Ashar Kleor]

Three Weeks Ago - Csilla, House Inrokini Residency in Ac'siel
Your father and I will not let you and our grandson leave Chiss territory unguarded. Tara'Nola'Inrokini, the matriarch of one of the family's households, had a commanding air about her that rarely went challenged. Her daughter was one of the exception. Sitting in the large boudoirs where they had been discussing her upcoming departure, Ashar shook her head at her mother's words. I am leaving as discreetly as possible and I will go by your family's name, not the Inrokini one. Bringing guard of any fashion will just bring attention, especially the unwanted kind.

She knew that leaving for imperial space and restarting from the bottom of the ladder would be difficult and that many could see this as beneath her. It was necessary though, if she wanted to help the house she had been born in and the son she had. Kleor or Idoxir, you still deserve to be watched over. This comes with your birthright, Liar'Ashar.

The older Chiss woman stood to her full height, grace never departing her every move. She took a few steps, before clasping her hands before her, crimson eyes resting upon her first born. Your father and I agreed that we want to know that you and your son will have decent security. We know we failed you and we don't want this to happen again. This was the greatest apology Ashar could ever dream to hear, but she didn't wish to. She recalled how her parents had been unsure of the marriage when she was much younger but had been blinded by the offerings the Csapla House had brought to the table to seal the bethrothal.

I asked Nira'Teta'Kleor to travel with you. She will be serve as bodyguard and assistant. She will be able to keep watch over you and your son. Your work will keep you extremely busy and as bright as the boy is, having a fellow Chiss to look after him will make a positive difference as he gets used to this new life.

Brilliant and stubborn, Ashar couldn't deny how well founded her mother's observations about Garrus were. She had been worried about how she would look after him when they settled down on Bastion and when she was sent off world, should she be accepted in the Imperial Navy. She sighed, her red eyes staring into nothingness for a moment.

All right. Chiss persons had a tendency to be difficult to read, even among their own species at times. Ashar still bet there was a hint of relief and pride in her mother's gaze as she offered her acceptance.

You knew that Nira'Teta was the only one I'd possibly agree to take with me when leaving, didn't you? Her mother nodded. My cousin and you have always got along remarkably well and she did well with you and your siblings when watching over you during your younger years.

Ashar knew that there was more to this, because her mother's cousin had also suffered from problems similar to her own years ago. She had never discovered how exactly Tetha had lost her husband, but she knew that when abuse had been discovered, her mother and her aunt had taken matters into their own hands.

If we could send your former husband six feet under the ice, you know we would. Ashar looked at her mother, surprise visible on her delicate traits. It isn't so simple among ruling families. This is why I am leaving.

You shouldn't be the one leaving your home world, your people. The younger Chiss stood and walked up to her mother, bowing her head. I don't want to but this is the safest choice for all of us. Just promise me one thing, Mother.

Anything. It was something that people in the higher circles they lived in could rarely say but she knew her mother meant it. Promise me you'll never allow Liar'Anya to marry in the Csapla family. Not even Liar'Astair. I don't want either of my siblings risking ire from my former in-laws. With both their houses being so important in the Ascendancy, risks existed regardless, but she was terrified at the thought of her younger siblings to be endangered further should they marry members of the Csaplas.

You have my word, Liar'Ashar'Inrokini.

[Ashar Kleor]

Two Weeks Ago - Csilla, House Kleor Residency outside of Ac'siel

It was already late in the evening but she had spent the last hours reviewing all they would take with them when leaving for imperial space on the next day. Leaving her desk in the bedroom where she had been staying for the past few days, she wrapped herself in navy blue velvet robes and headed for the hallway leading to the other rooms of the second floor. She hadn't visited this place in a long time, but moving there had begun the process of making their preparation for the departure more discreet. She hated keeping such a low profile and becoming a fly on the wall, but it was a necessary evil. She knew she was doing this for the greater good, for her family.

She stopped by the threshold of her son's bedroom. The five year old child - Chiss maturity making him more alike to a smart seven year old human. She didn't know how much imperials knew about Chiss development, but she was aware she might have to explain the school grade she wished to have him attend, once they moved to Bastion. While she was twenty six Chiss year old herself, her life experience was rather like a mid to late thirties human female too. Hopefully, getting Garrus into a good school at the appropriate level should be the easiest part.

He has been asleep for more than one hour. She was startled by the whisper and she turned on her heels to find Tetha standing next to her. The other Chiss, her mother's cousin who would go with them to their new life, had arrived a few days ago and was already their shadow, especially Garrus's. Ashar nodded towards further in the hallway, so they could speak in private.

The two women soon reached the living room which was downstairs. Having been sitting for so long, she was glad to just stretch her legs. I am glad that you are coming with us, Tetha. She said again to their cousin. She had been getting used to the idea and in the end, she knew that having someone to watch over her son would give her some peace of mind.

I wish this didn't come to this, but I didn't hesitate when your mother asked me. I know that this is a difficult decision, but I would have probably done the same, had I been in your place. Ashar nodded, knowing that for the most part, Tetha had been in the same situation, save for having a child.

You understand more about what I have been through than most, regardless of how supportive they can be. She observed in a quiet tone. My luck, if one can call it as such, was that I was born in a more minor family and married in a similar one. It made things easier to be dealt with. At least, once I fought the shame and decided to speak up.

Ashar knew too well what Tetha meant. She offered a nod of understanding to her relative. Do you think me crazy for having kept my son? She inquired, feeling the need to clear the air about this, just in case. Tetha's expression was perfectly neutral. This isn't my place to comment on this. I have pledged my life to protect yours and your son. Her gaze turned pensive. This situation never happened to me, so I can't speak from experience. When I see Garrus, I see a bright little boy and I know that both you and the rest of his family love him. This is enough for me to know you made a good decision.

I did think about not keeping him. The trauma associated with his conception drove me mad for a very long time. Saying otherwise would be a lie. I chose to keep him because I thought that something good might come out of all this nightmare. Whenever I look at him, I know it is the case. I also was unsure I would ever get a chance to become a mother later on. The thought of becoming involved on a personal level with a partner made her sick to her stomach and had all her fears flare up at once.

He can be proud of his mother.

[Ashar Kleor]

One Week Ago - Bastion
Why do I have to speak Basic when we're at home? I don't like this language. It sounds common, almost vulgar. Ashar sighed as her son asked her this question for the fourth or fifth time since they had left Csilla. It gives you practice and you do need it. Even Tetha and I can use it. Her son was brilliant, even by Chiss standards, for his young age, and he already was fluent in both Cheunh and Sy Bisti, having started both Basic and Minnisiat a year before.

I need to keep practicing my other languages too. The little devil was good at making his point. Ashar set her cup of tea on the kitchen counter, her shoulders sagging a bit. Tetha wasn't afar, helping installing some of the objects they had brought with them to Bastion, without interfering in the conversation between mother and son, unless asked to.

True. Let's say that you may speak Sy Bisti when we are at home, Cheunh before bedtime. You will continue to work on Minnisiat more before you can properly speak it. Tetha will give you lessons in the three languages during the week. When we go out, we will only speak Basic though. She briefly exchanged a look with Tetha, because they had agreed to switch to Cheunh when in public in case a threat was discovered.

Can I speak Cheunh on the weekends? Our language is so much better than the others! Garrus was as stubborn as his mother and since he was doing so well in school, he sometimes tried to twist her arm in getting more of what he wanted. She kept him in line though, especially as most of the time, he was quite easy to raise.

Not until you are more fluent in Basic. Her reply made Garrus slightly frown but he wasn't stupid and he knew that becoming better in Basic would help in school. I am certain that you want to understand your classes as good as possible, right? The little boy nodded almost solemnly. I do. I am glad that the school supervisor accepted to put me in the grade I wanted. The subjects look great!

See? Practicing your Basic is important. She had brought up the possibility to have him attend the Sy Bisti and Minnisiat classes the school offered for more advanced - non Chiss - students, so he would keep practice with others; but the supervisor had said that they would wait a semester, to see how Garrus did in all his classes. Her son had been curious at the perspective of conversing in these languages with non Chiss.

When will you know whether you have a job here, Mother? She gave him a smile, though she felt worry deep in her heart. I have an appointment next week. I don't know if they'll give me their final decision by the end of the interview or a few days later. She had already found a couple other places where she could put her Navy engineering compentences to good use, shall the military turn her down, but only Tetha knew about this. She wouldn't speak of this to Garrus, unless she had to seek employment outside of the Navy.

Garrus's school application had gone very smoothly and they had been able to easily find a lovely place to live: a small house in the suburbs of Ravelin. To her, the most important had been achieved. She hoped with every fiber of her being she would be accepted in the imperial Navy, but was willing to explore other possibilities if she had no other choice.

What mattered was that they had moved to Imperial space to start their new life.