The small build and sweet voice could fool you, but I’d seen the power these girls carried. They weren’t going to be simple singers, content to create beautiful things. From nearly the moment of their birth they’d proved they were willing and ready to fight.


    Long ago, in another life, I had looked at baby names with my cousin in arge book. At the time she’d beenpiling boy and girl lists. It had been too soon to know what she’d have. I’d loved the names Kaley and Kelli and they had both meant “warrior maid”, but my cousin had hated those names.


    “I don’t want warriors if I have girls,” my cousin had said disdainfully, “I want princesses!”


    Pink and frilly would never suit these little powerhouses and I knew that. For their delicate builds and singsong voices, they were leaders and Warriors. Their small statures would have no bearing on the power they would wield.


    “This is Kaley,” I said pointing to the first born of the twins, “and this is Kelli,” I stated gesturing to the second in my arms. “Their names mean Warrior in my nativenguage.”


    It was suitable, very suitable to the family.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Arge woman limped slowly beside us and I looked up to see the woman I’d known as Asper staring at us. She had, it had seemed, been quiet the entire she’d been here. I knew she was virtual royalty on this world, but she had said next to nothing. The camp had found her continued silence odd. Asper didn’t interact with almost anyone. Now she was looking at me and my family.


    “I am Asper, born of the T’stald Mountains,” she said formally. “I have never introduced myself to a human before or to males, but I feel it is time I changed my way of thinking.”


    I was shocked and too surprised to speak, but Damien spoke calmly and introduced himself. Shaking myself out of my amazement I followed his lead as Tosu approached.


    “Ciara, from Earth,” I stuttered.


    Tosu sat on the edge of my b, but made no move to touch my girls. She merely needed to rest her bad leg, which was still healing. I was d for her presence. Despite what Asper had said, I wanted to be cautious.


    “You have made up your mind then,” Tosu said solemnly to Asper. “You know your opinion will make a difference.”


    “It will,” Asper responded looking carefully around the room, “and I have withheld it until I was sure. Women in my breeder’s line have not seen T’vailk girls in countless generations and yet here two sit, born to a female not of this world. We were fools to lose this gift. We gave the right to breed T’vailk women away to humans. That never should have happened.”


    The strain on the big woman’s face was evident. She was frustrated and angry, but the aggression seemed to be directed inward and not at us.


    “I have seen The Spirit here,” Asper continued watching Kein intently as he held Kaley. “The strength the men have has returned in full. It scares me: their power and defiance.”


    My Husbands noted the same thing I did. Asper wanted to treat the men like children. Their determination to make their own decisions scared her. She wanted to make the choices for “her” men.


    “The rebellion is educated,” Damien interjected. “We are not simple men from thepounds doing as we please with no thought. None of us here make choices without understanding the consequences of our actions.”


    Tosu agreed with him as she gave Asper a patient look.


    “The men are educated and intelligent,” Tosu stated. “Yes, they are injured and some die, but they are happy and constructive. We lost a great deal treating them as we did. They were right about the ore, Asper, you know they still are. It should not be sold off this world.”


    Asper sat heavily on an unupied b beside us.


    “Free men,” she said looking around, “I never thought I would see them for myself. I never imagined I would support them, but I do. What they have created here is precious and saved our world. The beliefs, though, will be difficult… We have obligations and contracts-” she started to say, but stopped and sighed instead. “Many alien nations will attack us if we refuse to provide the ore,” she said inly.


    This woman had been the leader of the ving women and here she sat, discussing politics with a family of men. It was unheard of and I was shocked, but Damien’s family wasn’t.


    One at a time. That’s what the men were seeing happening. The women saw the truth one at a time. The rebellion knew they just needed to be patient and it would happen peacefully.


    The men had been right, frustrating as it was. The women had to walk freely in the camps and see the men. Then their minds would change.


    Damien found the conversation with Asper, our new ally, thought provoking, but something cooled his interest. This type of problem should go through the proper channels. Asper didn’t seem like the kind of woman who spoke casually, but she obviously didn’t understand our organization. The Great Spirit connected the men, but there was a chain ofmand everyone followed.


    “We have strong Administrators,” he said to the woman, as he waved over some young men. “Your concerns are valid and should be addressed by our leaders. These men can take you to them.”


    Asper watched us closely for a moment before standing.


    “Will you apany me, Tosu?” she asked turning to our friend. “I find your counsel has been helpful and thepany would be appreciated, much has changed.”


    “It is a new Pateria,” Tosu stated as she rose slowly.


    “And I am alone in it,” Asper said with some sadness.


    After a life spent in thepany of strong Sisters, I imagined therge woman must feel abandoned. I pitied her situation.


    “We are both alone,” Tosu said smiling, “better to be alone together, perhaps?”


    They would be strong together and I knew that. It made me feel better that neither woman would continue on without family.


    Not surprisingly Hannah and Ra had tagged along with the group heading to Administration. They wanted to be part of therger nning and the logistics. I suspected the more interest they showed the more often they would be rewarded with responsibility.


    It would have been interesting to Damien to be part of Asper’s conversation, but he had other ns, ones that would take us far from here. We couldn’t be locked into a set of jobs that limited our travel. It wasn’t what the family wanted.


    Kein cradled Kaley and smiled like a kid in a candy store. She slept in his arms peacefully. Our daughter felt secure under his watchful eye.


    “They need to see the T’vailk Mountains,” Kein stated as he stroked Kaley’s brow and understanding dawned on me.


    Administrators stayed in one ce and managed their camp. We wanted to see the whole world. When the girls went on their first flight, Damien and his Brothers nned to travel with them. Kein had been mapping out our journey, it would be a lovely trip, and long.