Another Day at Unity (16) (Patreon)

Ilene was not a woman given to emotional displays. It was her perfect calm that made her such a useful servant—always willing and eager to provide exactly what any situation required.

Yet just this once, after centuries of struggling and quiet endurance, she allowed herself some excitement.

The JS Imperium floated still at the Vermilion central dock. Already it was unmoored, with a pair of sturdy tugs waiting to direct it out of the port and out to sea.

The changes to Vermilion betrayed the incredible patience it took to get her here. Gone were the wooden houses and paper windows, replaced with metal monoliths of glittering glass. No more pokémon pulled carts, now trucks rumbled and cruised on their own power. Ilene's departing vessel didn't even have sails, yet it would reach the Sevii Islands in a fraction of the time the journey would've taken in ancient days.

"How long until we get on, mother?" asked a voice from the bench beside her. "It's going without us."

They sat on the public pier beside the waterfront. Even now, a pair of plainclothes Mew guards waited in the crowd around them, with radios that she would hear if they wished to communicate with her.

They probably wouldn't need to, though. Like all Mew land, Vermilion was a safe place, and its mythicals weren't targeted for assassination as in some other regions.

Harlan looked a great deal like his mother—pale skin, soft features, and golden hair. His Unity took after his father, which meant he already had the marks of a third eye on his belly, and hair that glittered with a faintly metallic sheen. His daemon rested in his lap, with the same dignity as Ilene's own.

Not settled yet, technically. But Ilene had full confidence he would—she knew what another jirachi looked and acted like. Despite the radical unraveling of the old system, Ilene's blood was stronger than most. She had lived far longer, just as the jirachi before her. Some advantages came with age.

"It won't get far," she said. "We're waiting on the house representative to see us off. She's... you know. Not very punctual."

"Aunt Hayden?" He looked up, a little childish energy showing through his training. "She's coming too? What about Charlie? He would make a new house less boring for sure!"

"I... believe they intend to visit, once we're comfortable. But so far as the diplomatic arrangements of conquest, no."

"I've seen worse deals," Hayden said from behind the bench. "But not many. You didn't want to hold out for something better?"

"Auntie!" Harlan shot out of his chair, levitating backward onto the grass before sprinting over to her. He jumped up into Hayden's arms, then held on.

The boy still didn't know the truth about his parentage, of course. But from the way he acted, he did seem to feel it.

Hayden had changed as much as the city since her first ascent. She was a young adult now, a little taller than Ilene and with much longer hair. She wore it in the traditional way, a braid so long she had to levitate it to keep it from dragging in the dirt.

Despite her station, she wore simple, modern clothing, the kind that would've been at home in any of Johto's universities.

"Harlan, you're even bigger than last time!" She ruffled his hair, before lowering him carefully to the ground in front of her. Or she pretended to—whenever they were together, the boy always wanted to fly. Ilene didn't approve, but she usually ignored it. Today was too important.

"Momma says I'm a prince now! Just like Charlie!"

"That's right." Hayden acted like she was walking, but really she floated, bouncing much too high with each step. Maybe that was why she wore such tight clothing—it wouldn't look like she was underwater. "But you were always a prince. We were just waiting for it to be official."

She sat down beside Ilene, holding out an envelope. "I wanted to take a look around the islands before you went. Ilene..."

She met the mew with a hug, then took the envelope from her. "You're going to tell me it's an undeveloped disaster. Your husband's father works against me even from beyond the grave."

“Worse,” Hayden thought, directly into her mind. “The old governor is a puppet to a criminal organization. Every island in the chain is complicit to some degree. The people are either frightened into submission, or willing allies. I don't know if going is safe for you or our—”

She put one finger over Hayden's lips. The mew wasn't using them to talk, but that didn't matter. Even while shared only between minds, some secrets were too precious to speak. “I would never consider such a dramatic move without doing my own research. I know about Team Rocket.”

Hayden fell silent. She patted Harlan's arm, eyes never leaving Ilene's. “And you're bringing him anyway? Without backup?”

Ilene stood up, then opened the envelope in both hands. She already knew what it would say. She had more than just old oaths to win this contract now—Harlan's father would want to secure a future for their son, and the future of Jirachi House with him. This was only the beginning.

Yet she wanted to see it anyway, so she did. Fine vellum pages, pressed with deep lines of dark ink. They bequeathed all seven of the Sevii Islands to “Jirachi House, as fiefdom and sovereign domain, along with the typical boundaries of oceanic trade and exploitation.” Julian's signature marked the bottom, along with Hayden's.

"I might not have another opportunity like this again," she said. "Our ancestral lands... they're not ours anymore. I stand no chance of victory against the Eon House with one son and the resources I could shelter from our collapse. We have to start rebuilding somewhere."

The mew floated off the bench, then seemed to realize that people were pointing. Someone even aimed their phone in her direction. She lowered her legs back down in a rough approximation of standing, though her feet were still a few inches off the ground.

"Team Rocket kill people. Their troops use captive wild pokémon to fight, and they're good at it. Even dangerous to you."

She wasn't looking at Ilene as she said it, though. Hayden didn't really think she was in danger. Their child, though...

"I've been preparing for this a long time," she eventually said. "Making investments, nurturing my resources. No pokémon knows more about making impossible things happen than a jirachi."

She tugged Harlan closer to herself, resting one hand protectively on his shoulder. "We'll make it safe for you to visit. Safe enough for you to bring your son."

Hayden's confidence faltered. She looked suddenly away, both feet dropping onto the ground. "Daughter. She got her ears last week. That's why... Charlie didn't come to say goodbye. She doesn't want anyone to see her right now. I'm not going to make her—still remember how it felt."

Ilene squeezed Hayden's shoulder. "The house doesn't need a male heir, does it? Julian only just ascended. Every Eldest who lived to retire outlived their first wife by a considerable margin."

Hayden nodded, then pulled away. Though she said little, her usual mental shield was suddenly leaking near the edges. Pain seeped out from inside, pain and guilt and shame. Not focused on Charlie, or anyone but herself.

"Charlie doesn't wanna see me?" Harlan asked, kicking weakly at the grass. "Why would he do that? Does he not want to be friends with me since I'm leaving?"

"No, no!" Hayden dropped to one knee in front of him. "Your—friend, just went through something really scary. Charlie needs a little time to be ready to leave the house. But when they are, we'll come visit you in Sevii! And we'll stay as long as my husband says is okay."

She kissed his forehead, holding his shoulders a lot longer than any friendly aunt would. Finally, she let go. "You take good care of yourselves, Ilene. If anything happens—"

"You would probably change it," Ilene interrupted. "Don't pretend you wouldn't."

She shrugged. "I would want to. Don't go rushing into danger expecting a little green fairy to fly you out of it again. I'm on probation."

Ilene smiled weakly. She took her son by the wrist, preparing for a little teleport. "Now you sound like me. How many times did I give you advice like that?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?" she asked. "Despite my mistakes."

Ilene stood up on tiptoe beside the mew, whispering into her ear. "So am I. You're still a kitten to me, Hadie. Have some respect for your elders."

That made her relax. Hayden took a step back. “I'll say it another way. If you need help, call me. I have a lot of friends. Maybe Lugia wants to help clean house.”

"No." She shook her head forcefully. “I have to do this on my own, or Sevii aren't really mine. No Great Families, no Ancients, and none of your students from Unity either.”

"Be safe," Hayden said, out loud this time. "I know you'll have an amazing house of your own again soon. And great friends waiting just north."

Ilene laughed. "We'll be selling vacation packages to the citizens of your regions in a few years."

She stepped sideways through space, tugging Harlan with her. They appeared together on the deck of the JS Imperium, to a few startled gasps from the crew.

Someone rushed to meet them, a young woman wearing thick glasses and carrying a tablet computer. What a strange world was hers, where women were sailors and ships zoomed across the planet without sails.

Just like those ships, Ilene's "steward" was much more than she appeared. "Lady Millennium," she said. "There's been an... unexpected development. A guest is waiting for you in your quarters."

An absurd concept for their trip, of course. One did not simply visit a cargo ship unannounced, even after just leaving the port. She released her son's hand, offering it to her steward. "Get my son to the third deck. Find him somewhere with a window he can watch the ocean."

She nodded, tucking the computer under her arm. "Come on then... Lord Harlan. Your mother has important business to take care of."

He groaned, at least until he caught Ilene's harsh expression. That kind of attitude was not becoming for a Jirachi, even if they weren't servants anymore.

He straightened his jacket, then his face went blank. "I hope you're done quickly, Mother. I hoped to watch from our quarters. We have a very agreeable view from up there."

They left. Ilene took a single deep breath, then vanished, reappearing just outside her quarters. There was one person inside, with a daemon like a dark stain in the room. That made their thoughts difficult to read, even for commoners.

That protection only extended to the visitor's mind, though. The objects he carried had no barrier.

Two mercenaries were also inside, watching the stranger. They made no effort to hide from her, since of course she had hired them. Hostility radiated from them both, mixed with shreds of shame and confusion. They should have prevented something like this, yet they had failed. Neither knew how that was possible.

Ready, Rael thought, hovering out of her arms and into the air behind her. All three of his eyes were open now, the last one faintly luminous. No common pokémon would have any idea exactly what terror they had turned on themselves, but they would find out soon enough.

Ilene levitated the door open, then walked calmly inside. The quarters beyond were transformed into what passed for a mythical “throne room” in the modern day—a fine wood desk, several expensive machines, polished wood and filing cabinets. Several smaller desks lined the walls, though no staff worked them yet. Then there was a heavy metal door, sealed shut.

Through that was where her family would live, at least until construction could be completed on their future home.

This outer room still had plenty of space for entertaining important guests. That was where her visitor sat, reclining at one of the leather sofas beside a low table. He'd helped himself to a bottle of expensive spirits, occasionally lowering a glass for the Absol daemon beside him to lean up and sip.

"Oh, you're here. That's good, we have much to discuss."