"You have any idea how much trouble you're going to get into for this?"

"For what?"

"For getting the actual green scarfed couple to give you the actual, honest-to-the-elements, high-faluting, tutu-wearing, green scarf!"

"Listen, no one knows I have this, and no one believes in the ridiculous prophecy anyways."

"Except, you're the Bameimeito  already, it's hardly as ridiculous for you to become Meihomei."

"Listen, yes it's ridiculous, because..." He didn't want to even finish the sentence, what the greenscarfed couple  had said, what it implied...

"Because what?"

"I don't want to talk about it..."

"What happened? You never told me the whole story..."

"Ugh, ok, but you gotta promise to keep it a secret, on top of everything else, I got no idea what it means..."

"Ok, I promise. Is this a safe enough place?"

"Innu chapel? Yeah, the guards are Meihomei's own lifeguards, from her main regiment."

"So seconded to third fleet?"

"Yeah, like 51st Skycutter Squadron: World Surfers ."

"How many would obey my orders?"

"An OF-09 of FlyForce, seconded to fifth fleet? Hmm maybe some."

"How many would follow you, Thistle of third fleet?"

"All of them, I can kick them out of the regiment, they better not do anything stupid."

"How come?"

"You have to ask?"

"No, how come you get preferential treatment?"

"I don't, not more than usual. Third Fleet Kon Thistle is just a license for nepotism barely disguised as an excuse, so giving it to someone who's already got bigger favours to hand out makes the most sense. Also, since Kons are thought to be hardworking, I don't get seen as being given a pass... I work for Meihomei, like the rest of em." The officer in charged of the guards approached, discreetly.

"Kon-Meritant-Zim!"

"What is it, Melkur?"

"I knew I'd seen you before Mei-Kon-Zim, we have been tasked with orders for you and Eagle Rolli, if that's who I think carries those red locks."

"I stand at attention to orders, Flag Melkur!" Barked Amarat, while Flora just saluted.

"It is my Mei pleasure to congratulate Eagle Rolli on her ascension to my Eagle's Aerie, I commend her on her swift rise and her confounding her enemies. It is my Most Mei Pleasure and tragic duty to congratulate my Hero and nephew, Amarat Veneer Junior, Feyd Veneer, Legendary of Kimaguray, on his ascension to Valour-keeper of Kagomei  and Star-Emerald Knight of Great Kagome "

"Zim?" The other man's eyes were burning.

"Melkur, Marhamat Dandelion, Valour-Keeper of Kagomei, Regim-For-Life of your regiment, died in action against the enemy, the way he would have wanted. Easy on that, the lady and I are both relatives."

"Attention, you lowlives! I will not repeat myself, I don't need to tell you what this ceremony to honour the late Electrum-for-life Marhamat Dandelion , Valour-keeper of Kagomei , Order of Emerald , Thrice-Meritant of Honour , OF-06 Electrum  of Meihomei's Life Guards with distinction: for life Stark  of Guray east Sixth Ring, means for this unit, do I?" Tadros Dandelion  used his gruffest voice, trying to hide his own uncertainty. He pretended not to notice how many of the troops were crying, he... hadn't felt like this in a long time. He understood their trepidation, a legend died to that Slate Plague , damn it. Furthermore, he had also lost a cousin, damn it.

"Attention to the flag!"

"Honours to you, cousin Telbun!"

"Valour-keeper, we salute the honour you keep in trust!" Half the troops took a knee. "We have come to accompany you as you lay him to rest."

"Is that everyone?"

"I am here, Amarat Veneer Junior , my hero, I have come to honour the revered dead."  Meihomei had sneaked up on him, she was gratified to see, avoiding the need for him to play the game 'I see and salute you first' they had been playing lately, it would not have been appropriate.

"Meihomei."

"I am also here, Amarat."

"Nameihomei, mother, welcome."

"Now we could go, if we had permission..."

"I am here," CI-12 Kagomine Secretary of Defense  Maëlle Comma  interjected,"... I grant you all leave to go, together, furthermore, I grant leave for all the forces of Meihomei's Third Fleet permission to deploy fully to secure this solemn occasion."

Flora Rolli  hated that she had drawn the short straw for Flag Bridge on Sixth Fleet, and be off-duty for the funeral. She felt having nothing to do was only going to give her an occasion to cry. That Amarat was for all intents Master of Ceremonies for the whole thing just made it worse. Hmm, damn, he looks good in that uniform... she thought to herself, but then, he had put on ALL the bling. She knew Meihomei, his mother and himself would be referred by their ALMOST FULL titles, which happened only for the most formal of events.

"I, Amalthéa Alessirina Shalami Melissama Fukurina Mercadence Kagomé , Meihomei of Kagomei, Overdomei-in-truth of Megamisama and Innu, Feyd Outbox, Feyd Watabe, Feyd Abbegael, Feyd Khlooie, Stark of Roomian, Willow of Zoohey, Aumhava of my own self, bear witness to the passing of Marhamat Dandelion , Valour-keeper of Kagomei , Thrice-Meritant of Honour , OF-06 Regim  of Meihomei's Life Guards with distinction: for life Stark  of Guray east Sixth Ring. I salute him, I had vowed to always salute him first, in honour of him saving my grandparents, my parents, my own life, and that of my adoptive sister, and I do not believe I lapsed in this self-imposed vow. My debt to him is utter, and could not conceivably be repaid. I stand for him, his honour leaves him unbound to any in Arnd."

"I Mikhala Vivienne Sonnelle Mikasha Solange Prithyanka Veneer, née Kagomei . Nameihomei, Domei of Garay, Domei-actual of Innu , Feyd of Simular, Stark  of Byzance, Stark of Wheelbro, Willow of Lilleath, Willow of Ingred and many other titles, stand for this man, he saved my grandparents, my adoptive grandparents, my adoptive parents, and my adoptive sister. I would see him unbowed in any company but the elements themselves.  My debt to him is absolute and abject, and he had to name a thing I could give to have it, if it damned my own soul.  I consider repaying to him my duty impossible, yet utterly inescapable."

"I, Amarat Jr Veneer , Feyd  Veneer, Legendary of Kimaguré , Feyd  of Starkastar, Feyd  of Valkyrie Point, Valour-keeper of Kagomei -by-interim, Meritant of Honour , stand for my predecessor, let the record show that I saw everything he did was with utter professionalism, and that I would be glad to assume his task of keeping the rolls of honour and valour for all of Imperial Kagomei's Armed Services ."

"Amarat Junior Veneer! Name yourself properly!"

"I didn't?"

"Amarat Junior Veneer, you named yourself Meritant, but not Star-Emerald Knight of Great Kagome , see that you don't earn yourself a title 118 by negligence! Let the record also show, I have struck from your titles any mention of Interim, you had been chosen by Marhamat himself as his possible successor, and he felt no reason to see your potential limited in this way."

"He reminded everyone here, of the meaning of the unit's motto: 'Over my last breath, even under protest.' He will be missed."

"Gold Shibué Dandelion , please lead the way."

"Lifeguards, this way, protect the principal, you there!". She pointed to Amarat. "We charge you with one of ours, he is misplaced, bring him where is he needed, while we attend to Meihomei."

"Aren't you forgetting something, Gold Dandelion?"

"Who are you?"

"He was one of mine you know.". The interloper said, on cue. "He and I shared a patient, and a friend, let him be buried, in the honours he has earned, and with one more, that of a blessed healer, for all the lives he has saved, for as Meihomei's Care  it is in my power to grant. Look alive, lifeguards. You may now evacuate the principal." And they did, all fifty troops, in twos and threes, surrounded Meihomei, and as the deceased had trained them to do, leaving no one behind, exfiltrated her to the troop transport, then to the armoured gunskycutter.  Marhamat made a hole in the earth with his power, then laid down the body gently in the hole, without a casket, and covered it with fine sand, as was tradition.

And so, Marhamat Dandelion... I won't repeat his list of honours here, was buried with a green drop(both the Arndan equivalent of a red cross and the staff of Asclepius: it marks medical supplies as well as the medical professionals) on his chest, and none quite forgot who he was, or how many he saved.

His daughter Shibué took home his service award, a medal given to anyone who died on duty, in his case, a platinum-osmium disk 5 cm across, with 24 1/4ct emeralds, one for each year of service.  With it were the "embellishments", miniatures of all the other awards he had earned in his storied career.  The Star-Emerald Grade Order of Kagomei alone was composed of 20 1/2 ct star emeralds, tied together with platinum in a dodecahedron.  The three Merits of Honour were represented by a 6 ct heart-shaped emerald, each.  The two dozen other awards were mostly in silver and gold, barely noticeable.  You could lose yourself in the shine of those emeralds, she'd tried it once.  Locking herself up in a room with just that medal and a tiny light source.  It was like the stars were in the room...

Shibué later joked, that if she hadn't a military escort with her, she'd not have felt safe going home with such riches.  Herself a Meritant, she knew that while the service award was roughly on part with one year of her late father's salary, already quite a sum, but the purest emerald used for the other awards would make her a wealthy woman, if she only sold one.

Randomly, however, a sobering thought came to her.  She knew her father had not earned those medals just for doing the right thing... He had risked his life for his ruler, thrice, with the hospital stays to show how close those had been.