After Endea\u2019s birth, many of Arsha\u2019s missions were centered in the Under-realm. There wasn\u2019t much talk of Endea to Arsha\u2019s knowledge, but Arsha was waiting for it. Right now, her ship was ordered to the Morgonthor Trench, Marshii\u2019s home, to await a famous defense attorney. Arsha was wondering about the particulars of why as the mission was on a need-to-know basis and would be revealed once the attorney was picked up. She heard it would take a few days until the attorney arrived, so she granted shore leave and visitation rights to crewmember families. Marshii had opened a window and flooded her quarters for her family to visit. She got the water to her preferred temperature and sighed happily as the warmth flooded her body. She heard a knock on the exterior of her windows and turned to see her wives and husbands, children, and grandchildren. She opened all of the windows and they swam into the room. She was instantly buried in her grandchildren\u2019s hugging. \u201cGive Grandma Marshii some air!\u201d laughed one of her daughters, Tayasi. The grandchildren obeyed and released Marshii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTolno, look at you!\u201d cheered Marshii as she held one of her grandsons above her. \u201cYou\u2019ve gotten so big!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m a big boy now!\u201d replied Tolno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, you are!\u201d agreed Marshii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrandma Marshii,\u201d asked one of her granddaughters, Yella, \u201cis it true that you\u2019re really a grumpy old woman? That\u2019s what my best friend says her daddy told her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYella!\u201d admonished the girl\u2019s father, Brensha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…Do you happen to know if your best friend\u2019s parents work in Realmfleet?\u201d asked Marshii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe said her daddy\u2019s a Lootenant here,\u201d replied the girl, Yella. \u201cDo you know Yoltem?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLieutenant Yoltem,\u201d growled Marshii. \u201cYeah, I know him. Why don\u2019t you tell your best friend, when you next see her, that, if she and her family are tired of hearing about me, they can come to Sick Bay for a visit. I can make it so that they won\u2019t see me again. Won\u2019t you do that for Grandma Marshii?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay!\u201d promised Yella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a good girl, Yella,\u201d praised Marshii. \u201cNow, let\u2019s see if Grandma has some candy for all these wonderful children.\u201d The grandchildren wiggled in anticipation at the promise of candy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…That\u2019s not the woman I grew up with!\u201d yelped another of her sons, Tuyabti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, here we go,\u201d grumbled another of her daughters, Wollio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook! Out the window!\u201d called one of her husbands, Rootig. \u201cThat was Joyalee!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…Someone\u2019s gone senile,\u201d muttered her other husband, Gorkon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t mistake hair like that!\u201d argued Rootig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRootig, Joyalee and her wife, Kalo, live in the Chromanian Sea,\u201d reminded Marshii. \u201cYou know, a Merfolk kingdom in the Over-realm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s right! Look!\u201d directed Yella. Everyone gathered at the windows and saw a Mermaid with a green tail and top and long, curly, pink hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c…Maybe we\u2019ve ALL gone senile!\u201d gulped Gorkon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTake it from a doctor, we ain\u2019t there yet!\u201d replied Marshii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s she doing here?\u201d asked one of her wives, Bemfin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, we\u2019re expecting a defense attorney,\u201d answered Marshii, \u201cbut she\u2019s a writing and literature teacher. Is Kalo…no, Kalo\u2019s a Sea Witch, the typical job for a Cecaelia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d remarked another of her wives, Fulldio, \u201cKalo DID study some law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEnough for her to be an attorney?\u201d asked Marshii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A special water chair, similar to Shalvey\u2019s, was prepared as Arsha received word that the attorney had a Mermaid spouse. The Endeavor<\/em>\u2019s landing ramp opened and Joyalee swam up first, followed by a Cecaelia woman with blue octopus legs, curly, lavender hair, a flower adorning the right of her hair, and a red seashell top. \u201cKalodina Avonamei,\u201d greeted Arsha, \u201cI must admit I\u2019m surprised YOU\u2019RE the defense attorney I\u2019m picking up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s Kalo, please, Your Highness\u201d replied the Cecaelia. \u201cTo explain why I\u2019m the attorney, I decided to pursue another degree. Now, not only am I a Sea Witch, I\u2019m a lawyer. You\u2019re only dropping me off after all this is over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll this?\u201d asked Arsha as Joyalee took the water chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we retire to a conference room?\u201d suggested Kalo. She then noticed Joyalee bouncing excitedly in her chair. \u201cJoy, sweetheart, you keep moving like that,\u201d chuckled Kalo, \u201cyou\u2019re gonna go sideways through time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m on a Realmfleet ship!\u201d cheered Joyalee. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to be on one that wasn\u2019t a wreck! I mean, no offense to our home, but actually being on a working Realmfleet ship…!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s exciting,\u201d replied Arsha. \u201cBelieve me, I felt the same when I…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCALL ME THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU!\u201d shouted Endea\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYOU! ARE! A! TIN! CAN!\u201d answered another. Then there were cheers, jeers, and sounds of hitting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd it begins!\u201d growled Arsha as she transferred her hairpiece to her waist and dashed down the hall. She found a crowd of people surrounding Endea as she and a Stone Elf crewman, Transhell were beating the snot out of each other! Arsha then got between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain, out of my way!\u201d snarled Transhell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I thought I<\/em> give the orders around here!\u201d growled Arsha. \u201cWhat in the Depths is all this about?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain, that tin can has no right to call itself our equal!\u201d boomed Transhell. \u201cWe built it; it\u2019s made to serve us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI cannot BEGIN to describe my disgust at you, Lieutenant Transhell!\u201d snarled Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d protested Transhell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur purpose,\u201d continued Arsha, \u201cis to protect ALL manner of life! That includes living machines!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy should we protect something so unnatural?!\u201d argued Transhell. \u201cIt\u2019s made for one purpose, transporting us to our destination!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSHE has all manner of right to go above what SHE was built for!\u201d countered Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy are you giving IT a gender?!\u201d shouted Transhell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause SHE chose to be addressed as such!\u201d answered Arsha. \u201cI\u2019ve heard enough from you! You\u2019re going to be working in waste extraction until you see sense!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cArsha!\u201d argued Transhell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s \u2018Captain\u2019 to you!\u201d snarled Arsha. \u201cWaste extraction! NOW!\u201d Transhell glared at Arsha, then shoved his way through the crowd to waste extraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAppropriate for a piece of garbage like him,\u201d muttered Endea.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re not off my list, Endea!\u201d snapped Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPardon?!\u201d yelped Endea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat possessed you to participate in a fight?!\u201d demanded Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain, I\u2019m not going to let his insults go without consequences!\u201d argued Endea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are better ways to address this!\u201d snapped Arsha. \u201cYou acting like a child on the playground is NOT the right way! I thought you were more mature than that! You\u2019re reporting to Sick Bay to help Marshii with her duties!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCaptain!\u201d protested Endea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnother word,\u201d warned Arsha, \u201cand you\u2019ll be joining Transhell in waste extraction!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Aye, Ma\u2019am,\u201d grumbled Endea as she moved off to Sick Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, as for the rest of you,\u201d growled Arsha as she addressed the crowd, \u201cdid it not occur to you that fights are NOT tolerated in Realmfleet?! You lot signed up to keep the peace, not watch two people shatter it to pieces and do nothing! I am ashamed of you all! Since you were the ones who stood by and did nothing to stop the fight, your shore leave is cancelled! Is that clear?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAye, Captain,\u201d replied the crowd, collectively deciding not to argue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen get to work, all of you,\u201d ordered Arsha. \u201cDismissed!\u201d The crowd dispersed, leaving Arsha, Joyalee, and Kalo alone in the corridor. Arsha took deep, slow breaths to calm down. \u201cKalo, Joyalee, I STRONGLY apologize for what happened,\u201d bid Arsha. \u201cI assure you; this kind of behavior is NOT typical aboard the Endeavor<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, but I\u2019m seeing it in the Over-realm,\u201d replied Kalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d asked Arsha as she returned her hairpiece to its usual place in her hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnti-Mechanica bigotry has begun to crop up everywhere,\u201d explained Joyalee. \u201cRiots are starting to begin over sentient machines having the same rights as us, anti-Mechanica graffiti is popping up on walls everywhere, the Crimson Diamonds are using this to fuel their illegal business, those are only a few examples of having no clearly defined laws protecting Mechanicas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m here,\u201d continued Kalo. \u201cThe trial to determine the fate of Mechanica Rights is in two days and I\u2019m the defense attorney for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen, once she has free time,\u201d replied Arsha, \u201cwe need to talk to Endea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well,\u201d agreed Kalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf all the dumb things you could have done against a racist jackass,\u201d admonished Marshii once Endea got to work, \u201cthat was the dumbest!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow else can you get someone like him to see sense?!\u201d argued Endea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy ignoring his words!\u201d answered Marshii. \u201cIf his words made you fight, you gave him ammunition to use against you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d quizzed Endea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was LOOKING for a fight!\u201d explained Marshii. \u201cHe wanted \u2018proof\u2019 that you Mechanicas can only work if you\u2019re controlled. He\u2019s going to use the fight as fodder for his beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…I played into his hands,\u201d realized Endea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBingo!\u201d confirmed Marshii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut what other ways ARE there to get them to see sense?\u201d asked Endea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know it\u2019s a little late, but let him alone,\u201d suggested Marshii. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take longer now, but he\u2019ll give up using you as a target.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…I hope so,\u201d sighed Endea as she sorted the potions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After Endea\u2019s birth, many of Arsha\u2019s missions were centered in the Under-realm. There wasn\u2019t much talk of Endea to Arsha\u2019s knowledge, but Arsha was waiting for it. Right now, her ship was ordered to the Morgonthor Trench, Marshii\u2019s home, to await a famous defense attorney. Arsha was wondering about the particulars of why as the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,95],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-2598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-2-the-rise-of-living-metal","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598\/revisions\/2599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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