From: briana@nas-kan.org   
      
   A Family Matter   
      
   By: Brian W. Antoine   
   May 2011   
      
   Chapter 1: Velan Family   
      
   	My yell for help hadn’t finished echoing off the walls before   
   Wythdantis and her team began pouring out of every door I could see, headed   
   for where I stood holding Kalindra.  The first med-tech to reach me held   
   out his arms so I could pass her to him, the one behind him was reaching   
   for her shoulder to begin stanching the wound she’d torn open again during   
   her attempt to teach manners to a bunch of North Idaho Rednecks.   
      
   	Third to reach me was Wythdantis and she grabbed for me instead of   
   Kalindra, which I didn’t actually mind since I was starting to feel more   
   than a little unsteady on my feet.  Being back home, the tension that had   
   kept me on my feet since the Meenzai had attacked finally gave up the   
   battle and I started to shutdown.  Wythdantis had other ideas though.   
      
   	“How dare you risk the life of Kalindra for your stupid revenge!”   
   she yelled into my face, snapping my eyes back open in spite of the   
   weariness I felt.   
      
   	“Go fuck yourself, it was her idea,” was all I managed to say   
   before standing became too much trouble and I fell forward into her arms.   
      
   	“I should …”   
      
   	I wasn’t unconscious, just too damned tired to care any more as I   
   mumbled, “You’re probably angry enough to do something stupid, except you   
   can’t get angry with me, and you can’t even get angry at the fact you can’t   
   get angry.  Sucks to be you I guess.”   
      
   	“What have you done?”   
      
   	I closed my eyes and smiled, about the same time one of her   
   med-techs yelled that my mates child was showing signs of distress because   
   of Kalindra’s blood loss.   
      
   	“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”   
      
   	I managed to mutter, “Go save your granddaughter you idiot” before   
   I gave up and passed out in her arms.  I didn’t wake up for three days.   
      
   * * *   
      
   	I wasn’t even sure I was awake until some voices from the next room   
   caused me to turn my head in their direction.  When I opened my eyes, I   
   found myself looking at our families sleeping chambers and I was cuddled up   
   behind Kalindra with my arms around her.  We were the only ones in the   
   room, and I’m not sure how long I lay there like that, not thinking, just   
   content that my mate was alive and in my arms and nothing was trying to   
   kill us.  Eventually though, I heard the voices again, and that caused me   
   to focus enough that I noticed Kal was still in a deep healing sleep.  I   
   could feel her in my head, our bond as solid as the day it formed, but all   
   I felt was the constant warmth of the link itself, not her thoughts.   
      
   	“She still has a few days of healing ahead of her,” came   
   Wythdantis’ voice from the doorway and I turned my head to look at her.   
   That’s when I noticed the burn marks on the walls of the room and the faint   
   scent of burnt cloth finally got my attention.   
      
   	“They will be OK?”   
      
   	“Your mate and daughter have survived, but there are questions that   
   the Klizach nas Kan must provide answers to.”   
      
   	I closed my eyes for a moment and muttered a mild curse to myself.   
   If Wythdantis was going formal on me, this wasn’t going to be fun.  “The   
   Klizach will make himself available for questions as soon as he has washed   
   and found some clothing.”  Wythdantis simply bowed and backed out of the   
   doorway, which didn’t improve my mood any.   
      
   	It took about an hour before I’d showered to the point of finally   
   feeling presentable again, and my closet had been ransacked to find one of   
   the more formal Velan ensembles in my wardrobe.  Lythandi and Naldantis had   
   met me the moment I left the sleeping chambers and had carried me off to   
   the shower with hardly a word spoken between us, and at some level, for the   
   first time, no words were needed.  It wouldn’t have been that long ago that   
   I’d have freaked at the idea, now it seemed right somehow.   
      
   	And it wasn’t just my own view of things that had changed.  As I   
   stood there while Lythandi tied the sash around the robe she’d picked out   
   for me, making sure it hung just right, Naldantis was finishing with the   
   braid he was tying in my hair.  As he picked out a gold wolf shaped clasp   
   I’d had made, and clipped it in place, he leaned close and whispered “Don’t   
   take any crap from her” and nuzzled my cheek.  There was still a small part   
   of me that was yelling “What the Hell???” in the back of my mind, but the   
   rest accepted what was happening.  Hugging both of them close I told them,   
   “Thank You,” then walked from our private quarters to my office, where   
   Wythdantis was waiting for me.  Last, but not least, outside the door stood   
   my son, holding my staff out to me as I stepped through the door.  I took   
   it, ruffled his hair a little and thanked him.   
      
   	“Ok, they wanted the Klizach, let’s see if they can deal with what   
   they’ve asked for.”   
      
   * * *   
      
   	Wythdantis was waiting outside my office door as I rounded the tree   
   that dominated the center of our home.  I nodded to her, opened the door   
   and waved her in, then followed and sat at my desk.  “I understand there   
   are questions for nas Kan that cannot wait until the Klizan is available,”   
   I told her as I pointed at the chair across from me she could sit in.  “The   
   Klizach will answer as best he is able in her absence.”  I did my best to   
   ignore the bright red message waiting light that was blinking from my comm   
   console, as Wythdantis sat down and got right to the point.   
      
   	“A debt of honor complaint has been filed against nas Kan on behalf   
   of Vandantis ne Felian, one of my staff.”   
      
   	Translation, we were being sued by his family for some reason, and   
   it annoyed me that Wythdantis started by dumping the complaint in my lap   
   instead of explaining what had happened to cause it.  “And the nature of   
   this complaint?” I prompted.   
      
   	“That while caring for the Klizan and Klizach nas Kan, Vandantis   
   was injured and it now appears he may never be able to serve as a Healer   
   again.  Nas Felian claims a debt of honor to pay for his care and   
   compensate the family for the loss of his services.”   
      
   	I just sat there staring at her, and after a few minutes of her   
   still not telling me what the hell had actually happened, I turned to my   
   comm console and flipped through to the public records area to view the   
   complaint myself.  The complaint was lacking in details as well, all it   
   contained was the basic complaint, the people involved and the amount of   
   compensation that they believed was required.  I did my best not to laugh   
   when I saw the amount.   
      
   	“Ok, now do I dig through your memories or are you going to tell me   
   what this is about?” I told Wythdantis as I turned my chair around to face   
   her again.   
      
   	“You would not dare, I …”   
      
   	“I would dare a great many things these days,” I said, interrupting   
   her.  “I have a world full of angry cats who would love to wipe me and my   
   family from the universe, there are undoubtedly some on my home planet that   
   are thinking similar thoughts, my mate and daughter almost died in my arms   
   and you’re expecting me to sit quietly for a game of twenty questions.  I’m   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)