The question of where wasn't exactly easy to answer. This wasn't something that could be done in public, or anywhere where the public might get a good look. There was talk about doing it aboard the ship, but that had to be discarded as the ship had cameras that could be accessed by divisions of UNSC intelligence at any point without a warrant. His property on the moon was discarded as an option almost as soon as it was offered as it was far too small and they would be easily noticed.
A few people suggested maybe finding a nice place up in the woods, but that wasn't really an option either as there was no telling how far members of the press would go. It wasn't a secret that Adam was followed while he was on earth, maybe not to the degree that some others were, but when he was out in public there was always someone watching from a distance.
Conn was sure that the UNSC and the GA already knew about Adam and Sunny, but they were keeping it quiet from the public. Adam was both surprised and worried about that face until conn pointed out that it was in their best interest to keep his reputations spotless, as much as even the anti-alliance didn't want to admit it, he had, on more than one occasion, been the difference between war and peace with alien races.
It wouldn't do to discredit him just yet.
But there was only so much they could do to help if Adam himself was sloppy about it.
So that meant the entirety of earth was out.
Anin was considered shortly but then disagreed upon when someone pointed out that Anin was not open for purposes related to tourism. As far as everyone was aware Anin was not open to the public and so would not be an option either.
The frustration was starting to set in as everyone realized this plan might not even get off the ground . it was only by sheer luck and perhaps the hand of the universe that gave them their answer, when a certain tyrannical dictator made a personal call, and Adam just so happened to be in the mood to pick up.
Lord Celex seemed to want to tell Adam soemthing, but a loud sarcastic comment from Adam's side cut him off as Thomas joked, "Hey lord Celex is a grand emperor right, maybe he will let us borrow a moon."
Adam snorted, but ignored his brother until lord Celex asked what that was all about.
Adam knew that this call was being made from the universe's most secure line.
The Celex were the most advanced species in the universe as far as he knew, and if they wanted to keep soemthing secure, than everyone was damn well sure it was going to be secure.
As a close friend of Adam's he was given the details.
A special ceremony regarding Sunny and his choice to be together, but, as far as they knew, there was nowhere to do it without potentially opening themselves up to the press, and subsequent scandal.
***
And that is how Adam found himself standing on the deck of a Celex imperial cruiser.
The largest, and most advanced intergalactic transport and combat vessel in existence.
That he knew of.
Basically, he couldn't think of a better place to get hitched.
He Stood in an antechamber of the ship, which was.... Difficult to describe. Even if he had been a poet or a novelist he would have had difficulty explaining the Celex ship. Upon first entry into the docking bay the ship had looked like just that.... A ship, though the floors and walls were made out of some unknown crystalline material that glowed gently can changed color seemingly at random. The further they went into the ship, however and the less it started to look like a ship at all. Hallways of this strange crystal gave way to huge, cavernous rooms, that looked less like rooms and more like open sky courtyards.
Overhead the ceiling.... Just didn't seem to exist, instead to be replaced by infinite reaches of atmospheric blue stretching up into what could have been infinity . A distant blue haze gave the appearance that the room was many miles wide. Crystal rock formations jutted from the ground in large twenty foot tall clusters surrounded by strange plants.
A breeze flowed through the rooms bringing with it the fresh smell of open air.
Once Adam was done scraping his jaw off the floor and welding it back on, the emperor had explained that it was mostly just an illusion created by their advanced technology to create a more positive enviornment for extended deep space travel.
They had successfully illuminated the issues that came with being trapped in a small space for an extended period of time.
It was the perfect solution.
They could still have an outdoor ceremony, inside.
Jordan, responsible for decorating almost short circuited as he stepped, for the first time in his life, onto an alien ship, but once his brain had begun to function again, he somehow managed to wrangle an entire team of Celzex to help him decorate, which Adam found both impressive and hilarious though he thought better of mentioning the Celzex propensity for extreme violence.
The less stress Jordan had to worry about, the better.
On command, The jutting crystal formation changed their colors to match Jordan's vision, mostly in clear and green. Tables were set up and cruisers were sent out to retrieve guests, and everything seemed set by the time an hour was up. It was the fastest and smoothest operation he had ever seen carried out.
Almost fast enough that he didn't have time to think about what was going on.
....
Almost.
He wiped his hands against his suit jacket.
"I don't know about this."
"you can hardly get cold feet, Adam, you're already technically married to her." Ramirez said, using a reflective crystal surface to adjust the cuffs of his uniform. On his shoulder Lord Avex seemed to be in agreement, though he was surprisingly subdued for what adam knew of the empreror's son.
"that's not what I'm talking about." He tugged at the front of his jacket, "I mean the decision to put ME in white, especially now that I have white hai."
"You are really going to have to get over the hair thing." Ramriez said, "Man if I were you I would totally be using that to my advantage."
Adam raised an eyebrow, "And how exactly would you be doing that?"
Ramirez grinned, "There is a certain subset of women who really like older men." He tilted his head, "There is a certain subset of MEN who really like older men."
Adam rolled his eyes, "You and I have two very different ways of looking at the world."
"And mine is more fun."
It was just then that Martha stepped in helping him to adjust the front of his jacket, "it isn't White, it's ivory, and you Look VERY handsome."
His brothers and Ramirez snickered.
"She's just obligated to say that because she's your mom."
Jim gave his youngest son a critical look, "Is handsome a synonym for goblin?"
Jim ducked as Martha aimed an open hand smack at her husbands head, dodging away with a grin as the others laughed.
"Be nice."
"But its our job to ridicule him mercilessly . It's family tradition."
***
Sunny Stood alone. She had been given the option of a larger room, but seeing it seemed..... pointless to her.
She didn't have many people to accommodate.
Perhaps the reality of it would have been sad.... But she had long since gotten over the truth of her loneliness. She had no real ties to her own family, and she found it difficult to make friends outside of that, so it wasn't a surprise her entourage was small.
Most of the guests belonged to Adam, not that she really minded.
She imagined the room he was in would be crowded, teaming with friends and family that he seemed to collect like the world's strongest magnet.
She hummed softly thinking about it, the image making her happy.
There was a soft whirring noise to her left, and she turned to see two members of her entourage walk into the room.
Her brother Kanan and her sister Dzara.
She was pleased to see her sister still wore the leg braces that Adam had provided to her. Now that she had finally accepted assistive technology, she was learning to run and jump and fight like the other Drev. Sunny had been teaching her one on one for some time, and she had a natural talent which seemed to run in the family. Her lower arm was in a sling, still recovering from the surgery krill had performed, to stretch out the tendon and release the pressure that had kept her hand curled inward almost since birth.
Recover was slow.
It was just them, and her.
And with them they brought her armor, modified by Martha to better match the setting.
Kanan hummed happily in the way that Drev do, and sunny caught Zaran looking around the empty room. It was hard to tell what she was thinking,
They set the armor down on the floor quietly, and Sunny stared at it for a moment.
Sunny, not sure what she was doing, knelt down on the floor before the armor and lowered her head, giving herself some time to meditate, prey to the spirits and think for a moment. She wondered if her father knew what was going on, if he would be allowed to see this.
She wasn't sure.
She wished he could be here.
When she eventually opened her eyes, she reached out for the first piece of her armor, but as she did, a hand reached out to catch her by the wrist.
Sunny was surprised looking down at the hand to find it wizened and wrinkled with age. The carapace on the forearm was so marred with age it was almost black, and when she looked up, she found herself looking into the kid but proud face of a very old Drev.
Almost unusually old.
Not many who grew up in a traditional clan was likely to make it to that age, yet here she was.
Speaking softly in their native tongue she said, "Allow me."
Sunny recognized this Drev, A Drev that had taken Adam in, and adopted him as a surrogate child.....
"HIjan, I didn't know you were coming."
"I did not know I was coming either, but the small fluffy ones on the shuttle did not take no for an answer."
Sunny had the feeling that that was not entirely the truth. She was sure that if Hijan had WANTED to say no than a few Celzex would not have been a problem for her.
She stood before Sunny, her body bent with age, though Sunny could see that she had been beautiful, and still was with her patchwork of scars.
Hijan was a warrior who had seen and survived more battles than any Drev she had known.
And despite her body, she held herself like a warrior.
With slow, painful, but dignified effort, hijan lowered herself to one knee, and began slowly, and methodically strapping on pieces of armor, beginning with her feet and moving up. Sunny lowered her head fighting back some sort of emotion.
She imagined this is the sort of thing a mother would do for her daughter.
Though Sunny didn't exactly have experience with that.
She tried to ask a question to keep her mind off the subject of her mother, "Do you have any advise for me?'
Hijan looked up from where she was fastening the vambraces onto Sunny's lower forearms and laughed.
"What?"
"If I were to give you all the advice I have, we would be here till you turned to dust."
Sunny smiled, "Well how about the most important stuff."
There was a pause as Hijan thought about it for a long moment, "The first and foremost piece of advice I can give you is that of.... Love. A lot of Drev think that pride in their partner, or trust or empathy is enough, but it is not, only when you truly care will you begin to truly understand your battle partner. Yes perhaps you may work well as a team but when you take the time to know them, to know them better than you know yourself is when things will truly begin to work for you. Take time every day to remind yourself of those things that drew you together. Too often in life Drev stay with someone because of their utility but not because of love. After a while things grow stale and old until the love is gone and both end up in the ground because they didn't understand each other as they once did."
She tightened the straps on Sunny's upper right arm, "it is difficult to explain, but my next piece of advice is easier. Never initiate a discussion of any sort of importance when either of you are, tired, hungry, or in a fragile state of mind. Discussions between partners should be initiated on an equal playing field with both parties at their cognitive best if at all possible. Appetite and exhaustion spawn discord between partners."
Sunny fought back a smile but nodded.
"Practice combat together whenever possible, and strive to do new and interesting things together, boredom spans resentment. Try not to get stuck in a rut of routine unless it is something both of you are comfortable with."
She paused, standing before Sunny with her helmet held tightly in her upper arms.
"And most importantly," Slowly she reached up and slotted the helmet onto Sunny's head, "Take every opportunity to better yourself. This moment is not the end goal of your life, but the beginning of your real journey, do not grow lax."
***
Adam adjusted his jacket nervously... again
He turned to look at his parents, "So.... Any advise?"
"Your wife is always right even when she's wrong." Jim announced with a smile , only to be poked in the ribs by his wife before grinning and pulling away.
"No seriously."
"Jim shrugged, Ok ok, seriously. Its not a contest, couples who talk about winning or losing arguments are always on a dangerous path. As spouses, you are both on the same side, so you shouldn't phrase things in terms of competition. Its not you against her, it is you with her against the world."
Martha smiled and took her husbands arm, "Well said jim, and sometimes that means letting go of the little things. At the end of the day you love each other and are on the same side, so that dish in the sink shouldn't really matter."
Jim nodded and martha continued, "Also, if you find yourself arguing about small things, I guarantee it is almost never actually about the small thing, like putting away your shoes or making the bed."
Jim squeezed his wife's hand, "yeah it isn't about the shoes, its more likely to be about how she feels disrespected because you have a history of not listening to her, and the shoes are just a symptom of that. But that's why communication between the two of you is so important, don't make the argument about the shoes instead sit your partner down and tell them the truth, I'm not angry because you left a shoe out, I am upset because I feel disrespected and like you don't listen to me. The more you can get down to the bigger problem the better the discussion will be and the more productive."
Martha nodded, "And if you and her are good and empathetic towards each other this discussion will not spawn an argument but a serious discussion about why both of you feel the way you do."
She stepped forward to adjust his tie, "Of course this doesn't mean you are going to be perfect straight off." She put a hand to his cheek, "Adam we all know how much of a perfectionist you are, so listen carefully to what I have to say." He blushed a bit sheepishly, "You are not going to be perfect at this to begin with, you are going to make mistakes but that is not the end of the world. Sunny has been with you through thick and thin, and other dumb decision you have made, so it would take the hand of the creator himself, if that to make her leave. Don't blame yourself too much, but admit the wrong and try to make yourself a better person."
He nodded and swallowed hard.
Martha finished adjusting his hair, "And one more thing."
"Yes?'
"Relax, take a deep breath."
He grinned again, "Oh, right, breathing, that would be kind of important."
***
Hijan took her seat at the front of the ceremony first, shortly followed by Adam and Ramirez. Their "Alter" so to speak was between two pillars of clear crystal, between which stood Maverick who was an unofficial officiant for the ring ceremony since it wasn't technically a binding wedding. His brothers, followed, and then Kanan Dzara, and some others to Adam's surprise.
Their shuttle had arrived late as they were getting some last minute things, but he was pleased to see that Sunny had had a few people. Narobi, and some of the other marines.
Following shortly, trotting down the line of chairs was waffles with a basket of coiltree petals in her mouth tail wagging wildly back and forth ears up. Around her neck Jeffry hung, reaching into the basket every so often and grabbing petals to throw into the air, which he seemed to be enjoying. Everyone had been surprised how quickly they had been able to teach him that little trick, and all of the assembled people began to laugh as they bounded their way up the line of chairs to come sit next to where Adam stood.
He smiled and reached down to pat them on their heads.
Then Came Kimber, dressed likely better than anyone else in the audience, with her sharp little suit and shiny shoes.
And with her she carried two rings.
Adam was surprised to say the least as there had never been a discussion about rings. In fact he hadn't even known that sunny knew about the tradition.
And lastly.
She came.
She stood alone at the end of the isle in her white armor, though it was not all entirely Drev. Drapes of white fabric hung from pieces of armor to decoratively drape over her body and armor, and the white cape, replacing her usually electric blue one, was now ivory white. It was long, so long that it trailed onto he ground a good few feet behind her as she walked, and even from here he could see the decorative stitching that only someone like his mother could have created on such short notice.
For a second his brain went blank, and he could only watch her as she moved up the isle, stepping with all the grace and power that he had ever seen from anyone before or since.
Green flowers were woven into the design of the decorative costume just to add the right amount of color.
The only thing that stood out, was the small golden pendant at her neck.
And Adam realized that even if lanus was not here, he had still managed to walk his daughter down the isle.
Even thought it was a human tradition, Adam guessed that it would have meant a lot to him.
He didn't pay much attention.
Until there were words to speak.
"Chalan, Lanus's daughter, I love you. This Love wasn't something that happened overnight, it was shaped and molded by conflict, battle, friendship, loss pain and joy. It took years, tears and scars, and I believe it still isn't perfect, and it will continue to grow with more years, and more battles we fight together. For this love I have learned to trust, I have learned to improve myself, I have chased across the sand and stars, and I am more than willing to chase across time and space if I have to. Chalan, I am not an easy man to love, I have my flaws, but because of you I am learning to overcome them, since we have been together, I have learned to command when needed and be a friend when possible, I have struggled with self doubt, and inadequacy. There have been times I have thought about quitting before ever reaching my dream. On more than one occasion I have made mistakes in my personal life and between us that I thought were irreversible, yet through all that you have stayed by my side, trusted me when no one else did, gave me empathy when I didn't deserve it, and hope when I needed it the most. So I promise to always fight by your side, to have your back, to always strive to improve myself, and to be, become, or do whatever you need until the stars burn out and not even my soul remains.
He felt her hand warm in his, and thought it was difficult to hear everyone else around them he could hear her just fine.
"Adam Vir, I love you. I spent a long time thinking about what I might say, to you, and to be truthful, I am not eloquent enough to put my feelings into words. It would take a hundred writers a hundred years to adequately describe how I feel, so instead I did what I know how to do." She reached down and picked up one of the rings, holding it up before him so he could see. It was black, run through with cracks filled with veins of gold, "In striving to learn about humans, I learned of an ancient Japanese tradition Kintsugi which was used once to repair pottery, where the broken cracks would be filled and rejoined with powdered gold. So I took black obsidian from my home planet where we met, shattered it and fused with powdered gold mixed into glass...." She held up the ring, "This represents, me, this represents you, and this represents us. In this tradition the flaws, the ware that comes with life, the broken and the repaired are illuminated as beauty rather than hidden. To be broken and mended with gold is a celebration of the object and its use. Adam both you and I are like these rings, we have been worn down and broken by many things, family conflict, war, trauma, battle, and internal struggle, but when we repair those cracks will be new beauty, new strength highlighted in gold. Every trial that tests us every even that breaks us will only make us stronger and more beautiful with time, and so I promise to love you and be by your side until the very universe crumbles and time itself dies, and even longer if possible."
With a few more words from maverick, the two of them exchanged the rings.
A human symbol created from anin soil, both created under a shared star