Free Oppose by Viola Grace

presents arrived and were put in the centre of the table, a special Driar festival meal had been ordered, and Jill had ordered the equivalent for her and Rimash.
    When Rimash arrived, he was a little battered, but he had grim triumph in his expression. “They are gone.”
    She smiled and walked up to hug him. “Thank you.”
    When she looked up at him, he grinned. “They had to leave in one ship. I ate the other one. It drove the point home.”
    She laughed and touched his cheek in a caress she was used to when he was in his on-duty armour. “Well done. The party is ready. Lali is in her room studying.”
    “And now our little family is official. I feel like celebrating.” His eyes heated in a familiar way.
    “No celebrating until after the party.”
    A happy squeal came from Imjay’s room.
    Jill gave him an arch look. “She has started talking.”
    He didn’t have a chance to ask. The squeals of, “Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy,” were hard to ignore.
    Rimash was in the baby’s room in a moment, and he was lifting her up and out of her little bed. She was waving the small stuffed dragon while she chanted, “Daddy, daddy, daddy.”
    Jill looked at her focus and started snickering.
    Rimash glared at her as he cuddled their daughter against his chest. “Not funny.”
    “You gave her the toy. I just used it as an example when I was explaining how you can fly. I had no idea she was listening.”
    Imjay patted his metal chest and chortled. “Daddy, daddy.”
    Rimash’s eyes filled with moisture, and he sucked in a deep breath. “That is surprisingly touching.”
    Jill fought her own tears.
    Suddenly, Imjay perked up and chirped, “Me, memememememememmeme.”
    Rimash looked down with a smile. “And the moment is gone.”
    Jill took the baby and grinned. “Go and change for the party. We will be here when you are ready.”
     
    Lali was shocked by the party, moved to tears and deluged by the waves of presents that Jill had arranged. The pads were links to a variety of archives that included a holographic learning element. Their quarters were equipped for the projection, so Lali could learn more efficiently while watching Imjay.
    It was another step in the evolution of their family, and Jill enjoyed watching the faces around her as they made their own traditions and changed to match the needs of their grouping.
    With Rimash at her side, she felt pretty confident that they could meet whatever was coming their way.
     

Epilogue
     
     
    With her white hair curled in an elaborate coronet, Imjay led the new students through the Learning Annex of the Great Archive.
    “This is a new structure and a pet project of the Master Archivist. In an effort to help students learn their areas of focus, representations of the entire Great Archive are found in these walls.” Imjay was dressed in the soft-white beaded gown of the Archive and wearing the uniform felt peculiarly right.
    “Any questions so far?”
    One of the students raised her hand.
    “Yes?”
    “I have heard that there is a Drai on the Great Archive. How does that work?”
    Imjay smiled. “The Great Archive gave him a territory in exchange for assistance in securing this world. That territory includes the building we are standing in.”
    A male, swathed in fabric with only golden eyes showing, raised his hand.
    “Yes?”
    “Are you mated?”
    Imjay laughed. After five decades, she was used to the question. She had grown fast, but she had never experienced the side effects of either of her genetic originators. She didn’t have to mate or go insane. She enjoyed her life as a single woman with the informational wonderland surrounding her day by day.
    “I am not.”
    The man’s eyes focused on her with intensity. “Why not?”
    She grinned. “I am waiting for a man just like my father.”
    As if summoned by her comments, the Master Archivist and the Security Master entered the space for their part of the introduction lecture.
    Imjay walked over to them,