Posted by Civilian Runa Siff McKenzie (Teacher) in McKenzie/Edman Land - The End Of The Beginning

Posted by Civilian Seamus McKenzie (Future Citizen) in McKenzie/Edman Land - The End Of The Beginning

Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Resident) in McKenzie/Edman Land - The End Of The Beginning
Posted by… suppressed (19) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
They all talked late into the night. The dinning area was huge because often it needed to be. There were also plenty of comfortable places to sit. That is where they all ended up, nursing spirits and mead until one by one they fell asleep. Revna quietly opened a chest in the corner and took blankets. She covered them all with one before settling in beside Mike. She held onto him, wishing she could reach in and soothe the ache in his heart and make it all go away.

Revna, Lady McKenzie

The next morning came early. Mike opened one eye and then immediately shut it, regretting that particular mistake. He groaned softly and was immediately hit with a pillow thrown at him by Seamus. “I swear to the souls of Joe Strummer and Henry Rollins, Seamus… you do that again and I will use your beard hair for bass strings.” Another pillow hit him and he lifted his head up and glared in the direction it came from. Capall lay on the floor with Runa and said “Brother… shhhhhhh…” and then he winced and gripped his temples between his thumb and fingers and tries to squeeze the pain out.

Mike laid still for a moment and then slowly sat up. It took him a moment, but he was able to get on his feet and walk to the wall panel. Tapping the comms, he said “Someone please bring something to help six people with hangovers and a ton of breakfast that will help absorb all this. Thank you.” There was a soft chuckle from the other end but Mike hung up before they could say anything.

He walked back to couch and laid down next to Revna, adjusting so her head was on his shoulder. “We really should try to get something accomplished this morning, you know.” he said to the group.

Michael ‘Big Mike’ McKenzie, Clan Chief

“Good thing your wife can’t sleep when she’s too drunk,” Revna whispered with a soft groan. “I already sent out instructions to have the subspace video equipment set up, food has been ordered, speaker systems, and orders to be present at 1400 this afternoon. I also sent all the information to Da back home. He and Mom will take care of it on their end.”

Revna slowly stood, gripping the back of the couch and then made her way to the comm as well. “There is a blue spherical vial in the medicinal cabinet and then a rectangular red one. Bring both.” She returned to her spot on Mike’s shoulder. “Runa’s the only one who will be worth anything. No one holds their alcohol like her. She won’t even have a hang-over. Ragna on the other hand…” Her gaze slid to her baby sister curled up next to Seamus. “She doesn’t drink like that. She’ll be lucky to not have induced a migraine.”

Revna, Lady McKenzie

Another pillow hit Revna squarely in the face, but not hard. “Do all ya freaks talk so much so early?” Seamus complained from beneath a blanket. “An’ she’ll be fine. She’s nae had a migraine since we arrived here.” He pulled the blanket down from over his head and glared at Revna and Mike. “My mouth tastes like the floor of a cheap brothel.”

Seamus McKenzie - McKenzie Clan Marshall

Revna threw it, with surprising accuracy, right back at Seamus. “A cheap brothel, Seamus? Really? I don’t want to know how you know what that tastes like.”

“Because decent ones won’t let him in,” Runa teased from her pile of pillows. “And yes Seamus, she always talks this much when she’s hung over, and sounds irritatingly chipper. I swear I’ll curse you if you don’t shut up Revna.” Revna laughed and then groaned grabbing her temples. Runa snorted like she just won something. But in a much softer voice she said, “I’m glad she’s not had any migraines Seamus. Though I attribute that more to you than the planet.”

Revna, Lady McKenzie

The door slid open and Capall came in. He was dressed, washed, and looked like he had just come from a leisurely brunch. He carried a tray of food and water and juice; and had the two vials Revna asked for. “And a fine morning to all.” he said somewhat softly. “Food is ready, and I have a bit of the hair ‘a the dog if anyone wishes.” He set the tray on the table and looked at Revna. “Comm uplink is set and I added a quantum entanglement matrix so there is no delay in comms. What happens here happens at exactly the same time back home.” He looked at Mike. “And I had your great kilt readied for you for when you address the clan.”

Capall McKenzie - CIA Technical Specialist

Runa finally opened her eyes, “Capall, why are you not down here with me? Actually,” she stood up. It was annoying to every single one of them how steady and smoothly she got up. Like she hadn’t had a drop to drink the night before. She combed her fingers through her hair and then tugged her dress straight. She looked too good. She sashayed over to Capall. “The better question is, why in the nine worlds did you not wake me up to shower with you?” She asked before kissing his cheek.

Runa looked at the table and grabbed a roll and began to eat while she stoppered the large spherical bottle. “Edman cure for hangovers. Add it to your hair of the dog.” Runa added some to her drink before sitting down.

Runa, ECE Director

Under the blanket curled up against her husband, Ragna groaned. Her head was splitting open and the thought her stomach might crawl it’s way out her throat. “Seamuuuus…ssss,” she hissed in pain at her own voice in her ears. “Shut them up, please?” she said in a bare whisper. Ragna could drink, all the Edman girls could, and she never over indulged because of the migraines, but obviously she did last night.

Ragna McKenzie, Herald

“I’ve tried for months, love. Nothin’ doin’.” Seamus said. He sat up, slowly, and cracked his neck in several different directions before yawning and saying “Aye, then. Breakfast it is.” In true McKenzie fashion he went to the tray, opened a bottle of porter, drank half, then poured some of the Edman magic elixir in and downed the rest. The rock quarry pounding in his head lessened almost immediately to a single blacksmith far off in the distance… although the blacksmith was on cocaine as fast as he beat the anvil. “Better.” he said and made up a drink for Ragna. He grabbed four danish and went back and laid down next to his wife, cradling her head in his lap. “Drink, love. It’ll do ya fine.”

Seamus McKenzie - McKenzie Clan Marshall

Ragna didn’t make another sound, but the look on her face said enough. She sat up just enough to down the drink Seamus had brought her. It started working almost immediately. She took one of the Danish as she laid back down. She nibbled it slowly, content to stay next to Seamus for awhile and not face what had caused such heavy drinking.

Ragna McKenzie, Herald

Mike slid out from under his wife and went to the table, mirroring what his brother in law had done. He came back and handed Revna a drink and tapped his glass to hers before downing it in one fell swoop. “Okay. So comms are ready. Food and drink are coming… hopefully there is enough of the latter on this planet to last us through. And we have enough hands to bring it all together. So the Celebration of Life is good to go.” His face clouded and he absent-mindedly picked up the glass of whiskey on the table and downed it. He looked at the group, his family… his clan… his brothers and sisters that had already given so much and who he knew would give it all again, a hundred times over. “I’m proud of you guys… you know that?” he said. Even without an empath amongst them, the sincerity and depth of his feelings for them all flooded the room. He was quiet a moment and then said “Okay. We should also start anticipating the ‘others’ reactions. We can’t be caught flat-footed, especially split apart as we are. Thoughts?”

Michael ‘Big Mike’ McKenzie, Clan Chief

Revna drank her glass without complaint and then stood and walked over to the table. She loaded a plate and then sat down. She wanted her tea, but she would settle for large glasses of water for the moment. “Da, is going to talk to Blair and increase the patrols. He also still has the cameras running facial recognition for all the others. We’ll keep an eye on media and accounts as well.”

Capall softly cleared his throat and said “Well… I may or maynot have already tapped their comms and asked for a favor or two from some of my new work colleagues.” As far as the clan knew, in fact as far as anyone save Runa knew, Capall was working as a tech specialist for a company in the business sector. So the statement drew a raised eyebrow from Seamus and Mike both.

Capall McKenzie - CIA Technical Specialist

Revna’s brow went up, curious, but a glance at her twin stopped any questions from being uttered.

Revna, Lady McKenzie

“I’ll talk to mom. Several of the clan have official restraining orders against them. If they come near, or if those that were arreseted are released early we’ll get a notification. She knows how to navigate the legal system. She can give the police a head’s up. We need to watch our electronic assesses too. My husband is brilliant, but he can’t watch all the computer code all of the time. Of course,” Runa lifted her cuo with a wicked gleam, “I would really like to see them try to get into the manor with Uncle Oddvar there protecting Tara. The gods themselves would flee.”

Runa, ECE Director

Mike looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. “Maybe that’s the ticket. Tell ‘em the manor is theirs for the taking, but don’t tell Oddvar. I actually would like to see that little interaction.” and he laughed. He then took a breath and sighed. “Hey, guys. After we address the clan… after things are fully in motion and the schedule is all laid out and we’re rollin’… I’m gonna need some time to myself, yeah? I just…” and he shook his head and looked at the floor. “I just a need a bit to process. By myself. Think you all could cover for me for a bit then?”

Michael ‘Big Mike’ McKenzie, Clan Chief

Capall stood up and walked over to Mike and set a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever you need, Michael. You do so much for all of us, giving you a bit to yourself is the least you could ask for.”

Capall McKenzie - CIA Technical Specialist

Runa stood up, walked over to Mike, and set a hand over his heart. She stared at him a long moment, seeing more than just her brother and clan chief. Then she hugged him tightly. “Whatever you need Mike, you’ll get it. You have my promise,” Runa said softly to him. Then she let him go and grinned. “Besides, if I can handle your bar, I can handle all those miscreants out there.” Her hand waved dismissively towards the window, and Runa laughed and winked at him. She kissed his cheek and went back to her food.

Runa, ECE Director

Revna loved the connection between Mike and Runa. It meant more to her than anyone could understand, except for Runa. It was a twin thing she guessed. She knew Runa would always be there to care for Mike if Revna couldn’t be. She stood and made her way over to Mike, slipping her arm around his waist and laying her head against his shoulder. If he wanted to skip the announcement she would take care of it all for him, but Revna knew Mike wouldn’t. He wouldn’t absent himself from this or from Tara.

But if he wanted to go to Earth to spend these last few weeks with Tara, she’d burn the universe down to make it happen. “We’ve got it covered it, and we’ve got you too, Love.”

Revna, Lady McKenzie

“Thanks. I appreciate it… all of ya.” Mike took a deep breath and then exhaled sharply. “Alright… let’s get to work.”

The next several hours were a flurry of activity. No one knew exactly what was going on, but all hands pitched in to make the directions of the clan leaders come through. Everytime so.eone would ask one of the brothers or sisters what was going on, they would say “The Chief will address everyone around noon. Until then, let’s get this done.” It was a testament to ongow much and he clan trusted them that they just went with it and kept working.

In a matter of hours tents had been set up in a massive circle around dozens and dozens of long tables. The tables radiated out from a large central raised platform. On a small rise behind the western-most tents, a mass ve vid screen was erected. It was there the feeds from Earth would be displayed. At the same time, millions of miles away, an almost exact copy of facilities was being set up on the McKenzie Edman estate in Scotland.

As the clan took a break for lunch, Mike walked up on the central platform. He carried a mic and a vid drone hovered nearby, broadcasting to the vid screen. “Alright everyone…” he said and the crowd of Scots and Norse fell quiet. “Revna, Runa, Ragna, Seamus, Capall, and myself want to thank you all for pausing your efforts to get our home built to come and do this. I know a lot of you have asked what’s going on, and I’m here to give you those answers now.” He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “We are going to host a celebration of life for Lady Tara McKenzie.” A ripple of shock and confusion rippled through the crowd, but Mike raised his hand and they slowly fell silent. ” No, she didn’t pass… but she is going to. She’s sick, everyone. And there is nothing to be done. She isn’t in pain, and she isn’t confined to bed or anything… but it will come soon enough. Me and the other Clan leaders decided that instead of waiting for the inevitable; we would celebrate her now. When we can celebrate with her, instead of without her.” He paused and let people mumble and exchange looks and such before he said “So I today we are setting up a party. And they are doing the exact thing back on Earth. Lord Capall has made sure that we have comms and video feed between both places, so it’ll be like we are all together. So come tomorrow, well…” and he smiled a broad smile.

“Tomorrow we are gonna show Lady Tara just exactly how much she means to all of us. And we are gonna drink everything in sight.” and the crowd erupted. Mike smiled and let them get excited for the event. That’s what he wanted for them… and for Tara. For this to be a celebration. A festival dedicated to the living memory of his grandmother. He looked around the crowd and fixed his eyes on his wife and siblings. “So eat up, y’all. We got work to do.” He shut off the mic and the drone went to recharge. He walked down the steps off the platform and walked through the crowd to his family. “Everything looks to be on track. I’m gonna go do that thing we talked about earlier. I’ll be back in time for the party, okay?”

Michael ‘Big Mike’ McKenzie, Clan Chief

Revna reached for his hand, intwining her fingers with his. She walked quietly with him. Her posture made people think that she and Mike were deep in conversation. The other four followed at a distance, fielding any questions anyone might try to ask Mike. They had discussed this to make sure Mike was able to get away. She walked him just past the edge of the crowd. A soft kiss and a squeeze of his hand, and then she turned and walked back toward the clan that had so many questions. Mike knew she would be there for him and she knew he would call if he needed her. Making sure he got away quietly was the least she could do for the love of her life.

Revna, Lady McKenzie

Seamus watched Mike turn from Revna and walk towards the hills outside the center gathering area. Where he was headed, he didn’t know… but he yelled after him “We got this, Chief! Do whattya gotta!” Mike stopped and turned and looked at his cousin-slash-brother. He didn’t speak, just nodded and turned and walked out of sight. Seamus watched till he was gone and then looked at the ground. He knew Mike better than almost anyone… except maybe Revna and Tara. And he had never seen the weight of life weigh so heavily on him as at that moment. Seamus took a breath and then stood up straight. He walked back to the clan leaders, all engaged in answering questions and fielding requests, and he spoke in his best Clan Marshal voice. “Alright, enough yappin’. Ya heard the Chief! We gotta get all this ready by tomorrow, so enough asking questions you’ll get answers to soon enough! Hadrik! Michelsjon! Get you and your lads setting up the fire pit! I nae wanna burn down all these fine grasses I busted my ass growin’! Angus McConnell and Baird McKenzie! Off your asses and get those generators wired in for the lights! Gonna get dark soon enough, and we still have a half day’s work to get done! Move it!” and he clapped his hands together rapidly to emphasize the need for speed.

As the named individuals took off to attend to their tasks, Seamus looked at the family. “A’ight. We all know the cousins have loyalist here, so they know about Tara… or will in a bit. How are we gonna anticipate their moves, eh?”

Seamus McKenzie - McKenzie Clan Marshall

Runa gave Seamus a hug. Out of all of them he knew Tara the best, and this couldn’t be easy for him either. “There isn’t much we can do. We keep an eye on our assets. And the land. Make sure they aren’t encroaching. Listen when people talk. Keep our doors open. The worst offenders we can inform customs to make sure we are notified when and if they arrive.”

“They will go after those they see weak at first. The women and men who have children with them. Wanting connection for their kids. Those they have abused before,” Revna said. “I’ll reach out to them myself. They will already be aware of what the others will do. I will remind them they aren’t alone.”

Ragna looked at her husband, “What are you thinking, Seamus?”

Runa, ECE Director

Seamus was quiet for minute and then looked at Runa. ” I think we should ask The House folks if they would be willing to mingle in with us. They have a much better internal scanner for shit about to pop off.” He looked at the family and added “Not asking them to intervene or even participate. Just be present and if they think something is going sideways, they call us. I dunnae care if’n we get a hundred false alarms from ‘em. If we get one legit one, we’ve headed off at least something.”

Seamus McKenzie - McKenzie Clan Marshall