At a university gala in Columbia, Matt dons a barong to honor his roots, while T’mari navigates the politics of academia with poise, charm—and a hidden plan to earn her doctorate in first contact protocols before Matt finds out.
In a quiet Columbia morning, Matt and T’mari trade heat for humor, coffee for memory, and a cultural breakfast for a light-hearted war on tradition. It’s not the Freehold—but it might just be home.
T’mari wakes tangled with Matt and ends the morning in a purple muscle car, her first taste of Earth opulence—and trust. Their intimacy deepens through quiet rituals, shared secrets, and a very personal garage tour.
On a winding Missouri road, Matt and T’Mari finally speak the truths they’ve been carrying—about restraint, regret, duty, and the quiet hope of a shared future. What begins as an apology becomes a proposal, and what follows may change the course of two peoples.
General Leonard arrives at the Freehold, greeted with warmth, history, and a candid briefing on V’ren command, upcoming events, and quiet political strategy.
In the pre‑dawn stillness on June 3, 2440, Matt brings T’mari to the Marmaduke family graveyard. Over rider’s breath and dew-scented air, he opens up about loss, legacy, and what it means to carry both—with an alien officer witnessing his layman moment of real humanity.
Date: June 1, 2440 Time: 2:00 PM CST Oxana quickly banged out a message: Oxana → AngelinaT’mari needs jeans tonight,
When T’mari and L’Tani arrive at Matt Marmaduke’s Freehold, their reception is more than diplomatic. As the younger sister battles grief and the older watches everything, a turning point in Earth-V’ren relations quietly begins—inside a farmhouse steeped in myth.
In the shadow of the landed V’ren ship, Matt Marmaduke meets the alien delegation on scorched Missouri ground. What begins as formal posturing shifts to mutual trust, ending in a decisive agreement—refuge for the V’ren under his charter, and a direct line of truth between him and their chosen ambassador.
When the V’ren ship settles across Matt Marmaduke’s northern fields, it flattens nearly two hundred acres of prime crop. The ramp lowers, and Missouri’s first alien visitor walks into the sunlight. In measured words, Matt greets her—balancing local pride, corporate authority, and a farmer’s blunt pragmatism.
From the observation alcove of the VMS Kalnareth, senior V’ren officers watch Missouri fields and a dusty human truck come into focus. Ten thousand lives ride in stasis below decks. Translator units are prepped, landing plans are set, and the question remains: will they be welcomed—or merely tolerated?