"If you [i]want[/i] to be a gardener I won't stop you, though I think it would be a gross waste of your talent and abilities," she said with a roll of her eyes as she reached back to ruffle his hair. Both Solae and Rene knew this really wasn't about a secret desire to pursue his passions in landscaping and herbalism.

"You need to have more faith," she scolded him. That was not to say she was not without doubts- she certainly had a mental breakdown after landing their ship through the hurricane- but it defeated the entire point of preparing for every outcome if one dismissed the more positive possibilities without serious consideration. They couldn't approach their goals with half a heart or be so shell-shocked at their success they didn't take proper advantage of a narrow window of opportunity. If and when they relayed their information to the empress Solae firmly believed they ought to know exactly what they wanted for rewards and how to navigate the political world. Right now they were simply surviving. Were they to enter safe sectors they'd be eaten alive if they tried to 'wing' the courts in the same manner. The Stellar Empire favored the bold, the shrewd, the composed, and the prepared.

Tychon glanced back towards Rene and Solae at the rear of the boat sheepishly. He could very easily hear their conversation over the waves and the engines due to the close quarters. The diplomat was not attempting to conceal what she was saying; she trusted Tychon this far and it would be callous (if not suspicious) to be trying to whisper in Rene's ear while he steered them across the ocean. If the patriarch was risking his life to give them aid the least they could do was show him respect as a peer and friend.

"Think of how the empress might view the situation," she pointed out. "This is not the only coup she has faced nor I imagine it will be the last. Her father left her a legacy of instability and there are always power-hungry individuals in any universe. She needs to set an example. The average citizen will not side with Duke Tan, but they will also not go out of their way to profess loyalty one way or another- they will seek the path of least resistance, of the least risk to themselves and their livelihood, unless they have compelling motivation otherwise. If we send our warning then the empress will have two people who have gone above and beyond. Instead of hiding we have pro-actively sought her out. Not just the aristocracy will want to know what rewards are granted to her most devout supporters."

"To the nobility the empress will want to send the message that she is generous, certainly, but what of the peasants? Of the soldiers? Of the labourers, fishers, farmers, and untitled? Would the empress want them to think they are to be ignored? That their heroism means nothing if they are not a lord or lady? You became a marine to clear your name, to be forgiven for something you did not even do, and so you must serve and sacrifice. If her imperial highness does not consider this sufficient payment and looks only to me- well, then she is dissuading people of many worlds to dare to reject usurpers, and teaching all of her realm that others might prize them more than she."

Tychon could not hide that he had gone almost slack-jawed at this speech. Not just anyone felt free to critically evaluate the ruler of their civilization with such objective candor. Some small part of him was in awe, another embarrassed to be intruding on a discussion of the high-born however inadvertently, and another was horrified at the lack of reverence.

"You too, Tychon. If I manage to return to Capella, I want you to think of what you'd like to do with your life. I have no use for my riches and, in light of this nightmare that is the rebellion, I intend to help my newest friends fulfill their dreams. You can tell me it is too much but know that I'll just use my best judgment to estimate what you want, then, so you may as well make sure I'm not making expenditures that run counter to your actual wants," she proclaimed.

Tychon opened his mouth to protest, thought better of it after a glance to Rene, and closed it quickly. A few more minutes stretched on before he called out over the tide breaking on a beach, "We're here!"

"One side of the caldera is partially collapsed. Do you think we can sail around to find which one it is?" Solae asked as she stood to get a better view. All their eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the night sky but it was still difficult to make out much more than shadows of rock formations. The trio squinted as they tried to discern the shape indicative of the opening that the marquise had mentioned. It would be easier to navigate their way to the [i]Bonaventure[/i] itself if there was less distance to travel on foot.

"I can have Mia- that's our artificial intelligence assistant- turn on some of the lower lights to help visibility when we're fueling. The external sensors may be functioning well enough she can hear us now. Should I try to ask her to turn them on now so we're not quite so... functionally blind?" she inquired with Tychon more than Rene on account of his expertise.