Homecoming: The Return of an Heir Part 2

The sounds of cheering and celebration that were taking place outside could
easily be heard from where Lilandra slowly paced. If she had wanted to, she
could have activated a sound dampening field that would have allowed her
complete silence within in her chambers. However, she had refrained from
such an action in the hopes that the noise would actually distract her
somewhat from her present line of thought. It had, unfortunately, proved an
unsuccessful ploy.

Lilandra idly wondered just how many of her political contemporaries she was
going to outrage before the end of the day. She had, until this point,
steadfastly refused to think of her son as a political inconvenience.
However, now as the moment was finally upon her, thoughts of how much
support she would lose by today's revelations continued to come unbidden to
her mind. She had finally ceased resisting and was now, for the first, time
seriously contemplating the amount of political damage that Remy could cause
for her.

The Empress momentarily banished these thoughts from her mind.
She finally halted her pacing and turned her attention back to the
ceremonial armor that she had yet to begin donning. It hung pristinely
in its own private chamber directly in front of her bed. Some rational part
of her mind knew that her procrastination in the matter was due to her
reluctance to face the day's events. That same part of her mind was berating
her for her foolishness and assuring her that dressing more slowly was not
going to prevent the inevitable. Despite these many logical arguments, the
Empress continued to ignore the armor and paced for several more moments.
It would be some time yet before she actually would have to put the armor
on.

*Besides,* she thought to herself, *It's not as if the armor is really that
important, other than the historical context. *

The use of the armor in most of her formal appearances was based on
tradition more than any other reason. Aldarus Neramani, the first Emperor
from the Neramani line, had always considered himself a soldier more than a
statesman. Thus, he had always insisted on being seen in the attire of a
soldier. It had been a great symbol of his connection to the common
people as well as being quite practical for him, seeing as there were
several attempts on his life during the course of his reign. And, like most
traditions, it had outlived its practicality.

While Aldarus had, with one significant exception, always worn a
general soldier's suit of armor, the modern equivalent was almost
obscene in its opulence. Unfortunately, it was an inconvenience
that she would have to continue to endure. So many of her new policies
were so radically opposed the traditions that the Shi'ar held dear
that she didn't really care to create another stir over something as
inconsequential as public attire. Especial with the political bomb that
she planned on dropping today.

Ironically, the Imperial Magistrate and Chief Magistrate Talm, who
classically were her greatest opponents in the government, were the least of
her concerns at the moment. They were already so turned against her that she
seriously doubted Gambit's existence would alter any of their regard for
her. The most that they could attempt was to use the situation as a type of
negative propaganda and thus turn the public opinion against house Neramani.
It would not be the first time that they had employed such a strategy.

No, her greatest concerns lay within the Noble Council. The Council had
always been her greatest ally in the past against the Magistrate. She had no
illusions that the members of the Council agreed with her policies any more
than the Magistrate, but they also knew that a united effort against the
Magistrate was their best chance of seeing their own interests maintained.
It was a unity that, unfortunately, had been slowly breaking down for the
past few years. Now, at best, she could only rally them to support her about
a third of the time. And the issue of her having a child of mixed alien
heritage outside of wedlock could easily send the tenuous political alliance
tumbling into oblivion.

It was truly unfortunate that, for all of their noble characteristics, the
Shi'ar people were a race of elite purists who tended to view other races
with a sense of superiority. It was an attitude that Lilandra had been
working desperately to change during the course of her reign. But as
always, the Shi'ar people were slow to abandon their old attitudes and
embrace a newer way of thinking. She could sense that her people had
arrived at a crossroads in which they would choose to move forward
in their perceptions or regress in them.

It was perhaps for this reason, and this reason alone, that Remy's
existence might actually prove to be a gift sent by the Creator himself.
He could easily shift the balance of public opinion on the matter. The
only problem was that there was no way to predict which direction
that balance would turn.

"Incoming communication from Councilor Dalkaon."

Lilandra pulled herself out of her own reverie at the sound of the
computer's soft voice.

"Put him through," she responded after ensuring that every piece of
her attire was in its proper place. The computer instantly responded
by projecting a three-dimensional hologram of the older Shi'ar. As
always, he wore an expression of stern dignity that somehow never
really conflicted with his polite and deferential nature.

"I wish to inform you that Imperial Consort Xavier's shuttle has just
arrived out of sub-space warp. They should be arriving at the Imperial
palace within a few moments."

Lilandra nodded in response. "Thank you, Rallin. I shall arrive in the
central throne room shortly."

"Also," her councilor added, "The final preparations that you requested for
the council hall have been completed for today's beginning ceremonies of the
festival."

Lilandra nodded absentmindedly at the report. A few days ago, she
had requested that a few of the Neramani heirlooms be placed on display in
the Council chamber for the duration of the Festival. Given the nature of
House Neramani's historical connection with the Festival, she felt that
it would be an appropriate addition to the ceremonies.

The councilor was moving to end the transmission when Lilandra stopped him.

"Rallin," she hesitated as he turned to face her again, struggling with what
to tell the man. "I should warn you that today I will take actions that will
probably cause you a great deal of grief."

Dalkaon paused in turning to face her and, for a moment, Lilandra thought
that she saw a flicker of a smile before his expression returned to normal.

"Empress Neramani, I'd assumed there was little that even you could do to
outrage the Magistrate while conducting the opening ceremonies for the
festival of lights."

Because of the normally somber nature of man in front of her, it took her
a few moments to recognize the attempted humor in his statement. When
she did, she blinked in surprise before breaking into a smile. Apparently
his
time serving opposite of Talyn on her advisory was beginning to have some
interesting effects on him. He had never attempted jokes in the past.

"You should never underestimate the amount of work that I can produce for
you, even on a holiday," she responded lightly.

Rallin often assumed the role of diplomat on occasions when she had managed
to estrange herself completely from either the Magistrate or Council. It was
a position at which he excelled, and she had often felt that his talents
could better serve the Imperial as an ambassador rather than her advisor. But, she guiltily admitted to herself, his appointment as her advisor went a long way
in assuring and quieting the more conservative elements of the government that
Rallin tended to favor. She would need him in the upcoming months to help
her trod through the inevitable backlash that would result from today's
revelations.

Rallin gave a dramatic sigh before turning completely somber once again. "As
your advisor, my council would be to avoid all possible conflicts for the
entirety of the festival and try to use it as time regain support among the
Noble Council."

Because House Neramani was historically identified with the Festival of
Lights, it generally generated a brief period of increased approval for
The Empress.

"However," Rallin gave her a questioning gaze, "I presume that you will
disregard my council?"

The Empress nodded in confirmation. "It's something that could be even more
damaging if handled under the wrong circumstances." She paused before
adding, "I want you to gather all the members of my advisory for a special
strategy session immediately after the greeting ceremonies for Consort
Xavier. We'll need to decide a course of action as quickly as possible."

They spoke for a few more moments to make the final arrangements for the
meeting, before Rallin took his leave and ending the transmission. After the
hologram had faded, The Empress took a deep breath to steady herself. The
stage was now truly set for what would undoubtedly be one of the most
controversial issues of her reign.

With a sigh, Lilandra returned to the ceremonial armor, which still waited
patiently in front of her. That gleaming suit almost seemed to mock her
feeble attempts to change the Shi'ar people, appearing to her as a symbol of
impotence as a reformer.  If she could not have her people relent in
upholding outdated traditions in such a trivial matter, how could she ever
hope to convince them of the more weighty issues?

Lilandra quickly chased these thoughts from her mind. Now was not the time
to rail against that which she could not yet change.

For the next few moments, the Empress dedicated meticulous attention to
donning and arranging the armor. She took one last moment to observe her
reflection in the mirror, ensuring that every aspect of her dress was in
complete accordance with the strict traditions of royal attire. Once again,
she was struck by the absurdity of the ceremonial armor. Today, that armor
would provide no protection what so ever against her enemies.

**********************

Charles Xavier resisted the urge to rub his eyes as he and Remy materialized
in the Shi'ar imperial throne room. The teleportation device always had a
slightly blinding effect not unlike that of a particularly strong
flashbulb, and it often took several moments for his eyes to readjust
afterwards. In the past he had wondered if the teleportation had the same
effect on Shi'ar eye structure. It seemed to him that the Shi'ar physiology
would make them even more susceptible to the discomfort associated with
teleportation than he was; however, he had never heard a Shi'ar complain or
even comment on the effect. Charles made a mental note to ask Lilandra about
it some other time.

For the moment, he concentrated his attention on the sea of faces that now
surrounded them. He could make out many familiar ones, but there was also a
surprising number of new and unknown individuals in the crowd. He had to
stop himself from looking for the welcome features of Emoln Tellaranni.
Lilandra had told him of the lord's tragic demise and Charles had mourned
the loss of a great man along with the rest of the Imperial. The information
and all of its implications still had yet to fully penetrate every recess of
his mind.

Charles kept his features carefully calm as his eyes briefly met those of
Chief Magistrate Jalrus Talm despite the fact that he knew his polite
demeanor fooled no one. The antipathy between the Royal Consort and Chief
magistrate had been well publicized throughout the entire Imperial. Talm had
been merely a newly elected Magistrate member when Charles had first
encountered Lilandra; however, the attempted coup by the Skrull had left
many vacancies in higher levels of the Imperial Magistrate which Talm and
others of his philosophy quickly filled. Since that time, they had provided
a steady source of opposition and frustration for the Imperial throne.

The Imperial consort quickly allowed his eyes to continue over the rest of
the gathered nobles, quickly noting new faces, smiling in recognition to old
friends, and trying to attach names to vaguely familiar nobles. He finally
brought his gaze to settle on the woman who stood at the center of the
delegation. Charles knew that a foolish lovesick grin might have been
blooming on his face, but he didn't really care enough to hide it.

Lilandra stood regally before him, dressed completely in her formal Imperial
armor.  Once again, Charles was forcibly struck by the physical similarities
between his love and Remy. How could they never have seen it before?

"Greeting and salutations Imperial Consort Xavier." Though she spoke the
words formally, Charles could see the passion behind her eyes. "The Shi'ar
Imperial extends you its warmest welcome."

Charles could feel his heart beat more fiercely as Lilandra slowly descended
from her throne and walked toward him. When she reached him, Lilandra
extended both hands to take his own in a gesture of affectionate welcome. A
kiss would have violated the nobles' political sense of proper display of
public affection, but Xavier could feel the warmth of her pulse though the
gloves that separated their skin and did not think that a kiss could convey
any more desire. For a moment, the world around them faded into the
background, leaving the two lovers a moment of almost private intimacy.

"It was an honor to accept your invitation to attend the Festival of Lights,
Your Majesty." Charles finally managed after a few moments.

"And it pleases me that you have done so." Lilandra said with a gentle
smile.

She finally released his hands with a bit of reluctance and turned to face
Remy. Charles could see the tension visibly increase in the young man's face
as the woman that he had recently learned to be his mother focused her
attention on him. Xavier could feel the same tension twisting within his own
gut and had to fight to keep his own expression neutral. He had only briefly
discussed with Lilandra her intentions to reveal the true nature of the
young X-man's origin.  During those moments, she always quickly assured him
that she fully intended to make it public knowledge as soon as possible
and would then move on to another topic. It was only now occurring to
Charles that he didn't really know how he should present Remy to the
royal assembly.

It seemed that Remy too was experiencing a rare moment of indecision as he
struggled with how to respond. The moment passed quickly; however, as the
Cajun put on a mask of casual charm appropriate to greeting a new
acquaintance.

Charles watched as mother and son studied each other through carefully
guarded expressions. Beneath the studiously maintained masks, Charles knew
that a thousand different emotions must have been warring across their
minds. They continued to stare at each other for a moment causing Xavier to
wonder who would be the one to make the first move. Both of them could be
incredibly stubborn at times.

Charles could feel the curiosity building from the assembled nobles as the
odd, silent exchange stretched on between Remy and Lilandra. A low murmur
was beginning at on end of the Imperial throne room among some of the lesser
nobles.

Just as the silence was becoming uncomfortable, something in Lilandra's eyes
firmed decisively. She closed the distance between herself and Remy and
gently placed her hands on either side of his head. The Empress tenderly
lowered the young man's face to place a single kiss on his forehead.

"Paschar dan'avon contal." Charles felt his eyes widen slightly at the
Lilandra's choice of greeting. It was a slight variation on the one that he
and Remy had discussed in the shuttle. The difference being, that instead of
being used as a greeting of great respect and deference, as used among the
ruling class, it was an intimate phrase, used only between family member and
extremely close friends. She was leaving now doubt in the minds of the
assembly as to the nature of her relationship to Remy.

The simple gesture and statement caused Gambit's facade to crumble as his
features were momentarily overwhelmed with emotion. He ducked his head,
trembling and unable to meet his mother's gaze as a few stubborn tears
slowly leaked down his face. Lilandra's grip changed to an embrace which
Remy instinctively returned as intense almost painful waves of relief,
sorrow, and joy radiated outward from both her and their son. Charles could
hear the young man whispering, "Amman," repeatedly.

The scene was greeted by a moment of complete, almost surreal, silence
before the entire assembly broke into pandemonium. The murmurs had
broken into full-fledged shouting now which were in turn drowned out
by even louder shouting. One did not have to be a telepath renowned across
most of the Imperial to have sensed the sudden influx of shock, outrage,
and denial.

As he was a telepath, he could not only sense those emotions but also
determine from whom, and to what intensity those emotions were being
developed. At the moment, shock was the prevalent response being generated
from all of the nobles present. The feeling of denial that he could sense in
some was quickly fading as more and more of them began to see the obvious
resemblance in Remy and Lilandra's features. And, of course, he could sense
a large, dark, ugly mass of anger and outrage coming from the area where
Magistrate Talm and his associates observed the spectacle.

Piece by piece, Remy recomposed himself and reluctantly withdrew from his
mother's embrace. Both still seemed oblivious of the chaos that surrounded
them. Finally, Lilandra drew her eyes away from Remy and looked over to
Charles.

He could see an almost imperceptible, crooked grin on her face. *I've made
quite a scene, haven't I Charles.*   Charles could feel his own grin forming
on his face at her thoughts, but quickly schooled his features into
somberness.  *I do believe this even outstrips the time that you demanded
that I be awarded official Shi'ar citizenship. *

He felt her mental sigh of frustration that resulted from that particular
memory. Traditionally, the ruling house and Chief Magistrate both had the
ability to declare an eligible candidate to be a full Shi'ar citizen. The
catch was that such a declaration had to be approved by the official's
counterpart and the majority of the government body represented by that
counterpart. In this way, the Empress could snub the Chief Magistrate and
vise-versa.

Thus, to prevent the issue of an individual's citizenship from becoming
the focus of political infighting, a sub-committee had been formed and
granted absolute power in the matter. Members of both the Noble Council
and the Imperial Magistrate jointly staffed the sub-committee and,
therefore, could not have its final decisions overturned by either branch. As such, the sub-committee didn't take kindly to demands, even from the Empress herself.

*Well, at least Magistrate Talm won't really be able to do anything about
Remy, thank the Creator.*  Charles could sense a touch of satisfaction in
his lover's thought. * He is completely out of Jalrus's jurisdiction.*

Xavier could still feel the violent emotion emanating from Magistrate Talm
and wondered if the man would find an opportunity to interfere regardless of
his position. He could be tenacious to the point of single-mindedness,
especially concerning his views of pure Shi'ar bloodlines.

*Let's just hope that fact is enough to keep him at bay.*

If it had referred to anyone else, the thought might have been humorous. All traces of Lilandra's grin faded at his reply.

*Yes, let us indeed hope.*

She let her eyes pass over the assembled group of nobles who now appeared to
be on the verge of a riot.

*You must excuse me, my love. It appears that I have potential insurgence
to subdue.*

Charles felt the observation might have been somewhat of an understatement
but kept his thoughts to himself as Lilandra turned to face friends and
rivals alike. Remy had donned his poker face once again and quickly dropped
back to Xavier's side. Lilandra raised single hand in a halting gesture and
silence returned to the hall with remarkable promptness. Apparently all
those assembled were very interested in her next words.

"Today, I have welcomed the return of my son." Charles felt a brief
resurgence of disbelief as Lilandra confirmed what many of them had already
begun to suspect.

"I greet him, not only as my son, but as a noble hero that has finally come
to the conclusion of a long and difficult quest."

She paused for a moment and Xavier had to cover a grin as he felt the
noble's curiosity rising once again. If there was one talent he envied Lilandra, it was her ability to play to a crowd.

"The quest was one of self-discovery.  For until recently, he was not even
aware of his own noble heritage. But, this was not the exclusive purpose of his
journey.  He also was given the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the
Imperium."

Charles could see that even the normally cynical and disdainful members of
the noble council were now openly showing their interest in her account.
Even Magistrate Talm seemed to be putting his personal feeling on hold when
the subject of the Imperium's safety was mentioned.

"This would have been an overwhelming task for even the greatest among
our battle-proven warriors backed by an entire legions; yet, this all
important quest was conferred on him alone when he was but a child."

If it had not been out of place, Xavier would have applauded. Lilandra, with
a few eloquent words had managed to change a room of outraged Shi'ar
nobles demanding explanation into almost eager children waiting
expectantly around the campfire as she unraveled her tale.

The entire assembly listened quietly and respectfully as she continued on to
tell of the circumstances of the betrayal which had led to Remy being
abandoned on Earth at the age of five. Giving a sketchy outline of the details as Charles had given to her of the eventual discovery of Remy's true parentage, she emphasized that Gambit's selfless heroism had resulted in the discovery of
a plot to murder not only the X-men but the Imperial Empress as well.

Remy wore an ironic smile through most of the re-telling of the story. When
Charles raised a questioning eyebrow, his son merely shrugged and whispered
in reply.

"Wit' de way she talks, I'd almost t'ink dis guy was a saint if I
didn't know him so well."

Charles had to admit to any one of the X-men Lilandra's presentation
would have seemed borderline laughable; but he knew that she had to present
Remy in the best light possible in order to minimize the negative sentiment
that Talm was undoubtedly already planning to generate. After all, the first
impression these nobles had of Remy would be the most lasting.

Lilandra finally reached the end of her discourse and waited a few moments
to gauge her audience's reaction. Most had already managed to slide back to
well-practiced masks, but Charles could sense an overall tone of curiosity
and confusion as opposed to the previous sentiments of outrage and shock.
Xavier quickly fed some of the emotional evaluation to Lilandra so she could
better determine the current sentiment. After a few moments she seemed
satisfied with what see saw and sensed in the nobles and continued.

"Now that you know his story, I would beseech that you suspend all judgement
of him until you have the opportunity to meet with my son, and know of his
noble character."

Remy had managed to maintain a somber facade, but Xavier could sense that
he was reigning in the urge to snort in laughter. Lilandra was putting it on
a little thick.

"That will come in due time, however. For now, you must excuse him and
the Imperial Consort to withdraw to their rooms and prepare for tonight's
festivities."

With that, Lilandra turned and regally withdrew from the chamber effectively
signaling the end of the greeting ceremonies.

*Until tonight, my love,* was her departing thought as she exited through
the main chamber  entrance. Charles bit back a sigh of disappointment. She
undoubtedly had a veritable mountain of administrative duties to attend to
before tonight's ceremonies and was thus unable to provide much more than
a per functionary greeting at the moment.

With Lilandra's departure, the chamber immediately dissolved into urgent
buzzes and whispers.  None of which were directed at them, yet. Though done
with her customary subtlety, the nobles had all understood implicitly her
request not approach either one of them until she had first had the
opportunity to talk with them. To ignore such a request from the Empress
herself would have been an extreme impoliteness that would be remembered in
the political minds of those present for years to come. Thus Remy was being
extended a grace period of sorts before he was forced to confront the
convoluted tangle of Shi'ar politics in full.

A detachment of imperial guards quickly surrounded them to act as their
escort as they left the central throne room. Xavier was somewhat surprised
to see that Gladiator himself seemed to be leading the group. What was even
more surprising to Charles were the intense feeling of shame and self-doubt,
usually completely foreign to the praetor's mind, that he could sense
emanating from the man.

Charles felt a quick flash of anger at the thought that the Empress's chief
guard would feel shamed at being forced to guard her half-breed son. Xavier
swiftly dismissed these thoughts as they continued their trek through halls
of the palace. He knew that no matter what Gladiator's personal feelings
were, he would protect Remy with his life to the best of his ability.

Still, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed at the guard's
reaction.  He had fervently hoped that the man would prove to be an ally in the matter.  Heaven knew they would need all the allies that they could get.

***************************

Remy had nearly been overwhelmed by a flood of memories when
he had first arrived in the Imperial throne room. He vaguely remembered
during his last visit to the Shi'ar homeworld of Chandilar, that for
some reason, the planet had felt strangely familiar to him. Of course, he
had been too busy battling the Skrulls at the time to give the strange
premonition more than a passing recognition. Then he had been forced to
return to Earth to battle the Shadow King, Magneto, and Omega Red
in quick succession. Therefore, any connection that he had felt to Chandilar
at the time had quickly been filed away in some remote forgotten corner of
his mind.  Now those feeling had returned in full force and were backed with
faint, flickering memories of him walking these same halls as child.

Everything seemed much smaller than it had been when he was a child, but
he suspected that such a phenomenon was normal. His memories were
impressions more then memories really. There would be a brief flashes in his
mind, the sensation of the smooth warm floor on his bare feet, a large painting of man with rather bulbous nose that he had laughed at, or even the way shards
of light from a setting sun would cast illuminated beams across the hall.

Remy shook his head slightly to bring his thoughts back to the present. His
mind had been anything but focused since the moment that he had laid eyes on
his mother once again. The mere sight of her had brought a flood of memories
from a part of his mind that he never known existed. It had taken a great
deal of restraint on his own part to keep his features free of the emotions
that had been roiling inside of him.

But all that restraint had shattered at a simple gesture of recognition from
the mother that he had never known but always longed for on the streets of
New Orleans.

The procession came to a sudden halt, causing Gambit to stop suddenly in his
tracks and cast a questioning glance at Gladiator who was at the head of
the procession. Gladiator had turned to face them, but for some reason he
couldn't quite seem to meet Remy's gaze opting instead to stare at the
floor directly in front of the Cajun's feet.

"We must separate you momentarily as the Imperial Consort resides in the
Empress's chambers. The quarters for the royal family are in this
direction." Gladiator indicated another hallway as he spoke.

Remy narrowed his eyes fractionally and studied the guardian a little more
closely. The sight of the man was tickling something in his memory, but
he couldn't quite grasp a hold of it yet.

"Well Remy," Gambit quickly pushed the speculation to the back of his mind
at the sound of Xavier's voice, "I shall see you again tonight at the
opening ceremonies of the festival. Try to stay out of trouble until then."

Though spoken lightly, Remy could hear the warning in the Professor's voice.
He would need to be extremely cautious in all of his actions during the
coming days.

The former thief nodded absently in agreement as they parted to go their
separate ways. Gladiator led him down an ornate staircase, which seemed
vaguely familiar, to the second floor of the east wing of the palace.

With each step he took, the area around him grew more and more recognizable.
It was at that moment he realized that he would probably be placed in the
Room which had belonged to him as a child. It was a surprising development, but
after the initial shock of the revelation had worn off, he decided that it
seemed comforting for him to stay in his old quarters.

Gladiator spoke a quick command to the entrance door prompting it to open.
The first thing that Remy noticed about the room was the fact that the walls
were a different color than what he remembered. The furnishings of the room
were quite different as well as they were designed for a grown man instead
of a young boy. The room was thus somewhat different from what it would be
in another nine years. Remy couldn't decide whether or not he was disappointed
by that fact.

The rest of the Imperial guard stood to one side allowing Gladiator and
Remy to enter the room. Inside two Shi'ar women, obviously maids of some
sort, were putting the final touches on his quarters. As he approached, both
halted in their labors to offer him a respectful bow. The gesture took
Gambit so completely by surprise that for a moment he simply stared back
at them unsure of how to respond. Fortunately, Gladiator came to his rescue
and, with a brief nod and gesture, indicated that the two women could return
to their work.

"Dat's gonna' take a little gettin' use to." He whispered whimsically to
Gladiator.

"Of course, your Highness." Gladiator replied somberly.

Gambit very nearly did a double take at the Praetor after he had made the
statement. That simple phrase, spoken in utmost dignity as he had always
done before, suddenly triggered a cascade of memories of the man saying
the same words with the same demeanor to him a small child. Those memories
quickly led to others, and Remy suddenly realized what it was that had been
nagging at his brain earlier when he was studying Gladiator.

"Uncle Glady," He breathed in amazement. The look that his dear "Uncle"
gave him at his impromptu statement was enough to send Remy into a fit of
hysteria. He clutched his stomach and nearly doubled over laughing as
Gladiator looked on in bewilderment.  Even the two maids were looking at
him with twin expressions of confusion, bordering on worry.

"You're Uncle Glady," he repeated in amazement once he could manage to get
the words back out between chuckles.  Yes, this was definitely that same
guard that he remembered from his youth.  And by all appearances, he enjoyed
that particular appellate about as much as his future counterpart had.

"I remember now. Uncle Glady. It was my own private nickname for ya'." Remy
explained to a once he had managed to recompose himself. "I was de only one
dat could call you that.  And you would always respond by sayin 'Yes, ya
Highness', or somet'ing like dat."

Gambit watched as Gladiator's features went through a range of shock and
surprise before managed to reign in his emotions once again. The man then
averted his eyes and suddenly became extremely interested in directing the
servants that began arriving with Gambit's luggage. Remy watched the man in
confusion for a few moments trying to understand his odd reaction.

However, he was distracted by the approach of one of the servant girls who
bowed briefly before him then waited patiently until he turned his full
attention to her.

"Suitable clothing has been provided for you in the wardrobe over there."
she said somewhat shyly, indicating large elaborate wardrobe that took up
nearly half of wall on the far side of the room.

Gambit's instinctive charm kicked in as he gallantly took one of her hands
and placed a kiss on it. "Merci, belle. I'm afraid t'at I didn't catch ya'
name earlier."

The young girl blushed and quickly pulled her hand back once he had
released it.

"Sherla, my name is Sherla."

Remy favored her with another of his trademark scoundrel grins before
turning his attention back to the room.  He could sense that the servants
had almost finished putting away his belongings.  Still, Gladiator still
seemed to be avoiding his gaze for some reason, so he decided to have
a look inside the massive wardrobe. After all, he was somewhat curious
as to what qualified as suitable attire for the Shi'ar prince.

The former thief always had to fight down a bark of laughter every time that
he referred to himself as a prince.

The wardrobe, like the entrance to the room, was rigged with a door that
could be opened at his vocal command. He nearly whistled when he saw the
sheer mass of clothing that had been prepared for him.

*Dey must of been runnin' de replicators on full power for weeks.* he
thought.

Remy was in the process of inspecting in its contents when he felt a sudden,
and unexpected psionic probe brush against his mental shields. Acting on
instinct, he quickly reinforced his own defenses and forcibly pushed the
unwelcome presence out of his mind. Without even turning around, he could
sense the servant girl, who had called herself Sherla, flinch slightly.

*So, she's a telepath as well as a servant.* Remy turned his head to cast a
penetrating glare at the young girl. Her eyes had widened considerably and a
look of apprehension was slowly covering her features. She had obviously not
been expecting to encounter any resistance much less the near impenetrable
mental shields that Remy possessed.

The girl met his eyes for a brief moment before ducking her head and quickly
returning to her duties of unpacking his belongings with an added amount of
vigor and haste. He debated for a moment on whether or not he should say
anything to her. After all, he wasn't completely familiar with all the
aspects of the Shi'ar culture. Extending telepathic probes may have been an
acceptable form of greeting among those with psionic capabilities.  At any rate, the poor girl looked embarrassed enough as it was and he didn't really see the need to put her on the spot in front of a group of people. And seeing how he was not in the habit of making a public spectacle out of young ladies, a simple
glare that only she would understand should be sufficient warning for her not to
attempt such an action again.

Remy sat down on the bed that had been provided as the two servants finished
unpacking his belongings and quickly took their leave. He was still trying,
without much success, to sort out the massive tangle of emotions that had
been plaguing him since he began preparing for this journey on Earth. The
strange duality of his surroundings were not doing much to help him. It was
somewhat disconcerting that a place could feel so much like home and so
alien at the same time.

"If everything is satisfactory, your Highness," Gladiator began hesitantly,
"I will leave you to prepare for tonight's Ceremonies. If you should require
anything, don't hesitate to send for me or one of the other servants."

Remy nodded in understanding.

"Hey Glady," he was once again rewarded with the sight of a very memorable
look crossing the Praetor's face at the mention of his new appellate. "I'm
not exactly up ta' date wit' Shi'ar fashion. Human fashion, yes. Shi'ar
fashion be a whole ot'er t'ing." He said, shrugging casually. "What would be
de best t'ing ta' were ta' t'is ceremony t'night?"

"I apologize, I really wouldn't know, your Highness."

They spent a few moments in silence studying each other and Remy was once
again forcibly struck by the impression that something was not quite right
when comparing this man with his childhood protector.

Finally Remy sighed and nodded to Gladiator. "In t'at case, I don't really
need not'ing for de moment."

Gladiator bowed respectfully, nearly causing Remy to fall out of his seat,
before exiting the room. It completely amazed Gambit that this man, with
whom he had engaged in violent combat the last time that their paths had
crossed, now accorded him the rights and respects of a prince. What was even
more amazing to him was the fact that he had ceased to view Gladiator as
some arrogant, glorified secret service agent and was beginning to think of
him more as the childhood hero that he had idolized.

Suddenly, Remy's mind froze. He realized now what it was about Gladiator
that had seemed somewhat wrong to him. All of his memories of the man,
including those from childhood, portrayed him as a competent, yet extremely
prideful warrior. But that element had been missing from him just a few
moments ago. The Cajun shook his head in dismay. It was as if the Gladiator
had completely lost his own self-confidence.

End part 2