Rene smiled wanly before putting his hand to his heart and bowing in courtly fashion. Relationships among the hyperstatus sensitive nobility often had power differentials which seemed arcane to the outsider but the language of the court was nothing if not nuanced. The gesture conveyed both affection an aquience to authority. 

“As you command your excellency,” Rene said, his grin broadening. Just as being the only surviving member of the garrison on New Concordia technically made him the acting Captain-General, Solae’s diplomatic rank made her the ambassador plenipotentiary to Panopontus. Most worlds this insignificant lacked any formal representation in the diplomatic corp with duties handled either by local officials or even merchants with connections to the core systems who were breveted authority in lieu of paid professional diplomats.

“As for what I wanted to show you…” Rene led Solae back to the boarding ramp. It was still open and the howling wind whipped rain droplets inside in a steady spray. Rivulets of water were beginning to run back towards the cargo bay as the heavier rear of the ship was slightly lower than the bow as sediment had given way. Even so, the storm driven air smelled so fresh and alive after the recycled stink of the Bonaventure’s atmosphere that Rene would have been unwilling to close the hatch for anything short of actual flooding.

The rain whipped water glowed and sparkled even more intensely than it had when Rene had exited the ship a few minutes prior. The reflected wake of the Bonaventure’s landing had faded but the wind still drove the shallow pool westward, particularly intense streaks of phosphorescence blossomed where  the current rippled in broad V’s around the landing struts. The driving rain dappled the water in an ever shifting pattern that looked oddly ethereal due to the highlights of color.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” Rene admitted, half shouting to be heard over the tumult of the wind and the hiss of rain on water. Biology was a part of education of course and though an interest in natural history and xenobiology weren appropriate eccentricities for a gentleman, it had never been a particular interest of Rene’s. Indigenous life forms at the microscopic level were rarely dangerous to humans save through ingestion, the biology too different to make infection a particular danger and though xenologic infections were not unheard of, they almost never occured on planets which had undergone even basic terraforming.

Rene squeezed Solae’s hand, it seemed even more dreamlike to be taking in the sight with his love by his side. For a moment he was able to put the rebellion and the dangerous tasks ahead out of his mind, simply enjoying the rippling play of light with Solae by his side.