“Just get us the fuck out of here. Kanithe, monitor for any communications from the Fleet ship.”
“Already on it, but they are being unusually quiet so far. Too quiet.”
“Do you think they’re headed for the lab?” Faith asked.
“Yes. The sooner we get the fuck away from here, the better.”
“And then what?”
“My original plan was to head for the fucking Outer Rim and get away from fucking politics and saving the fucking galaxy.”
“I know.” Her voice was soft as she reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. “I did promise we would take the scientists home.”
“To Elgin.” The full horror of that sunk in. After more than twenty years, he was finally going to have to go home.
Faith was curled on his lap, Precious curled on hers, when Elgin came into view at last. The surface was spotted with landmasses—too large to be islands, too small to be continents—set in a deep purple sea. The last time he’d seen this view, he’d been leaving with Kefniss.
Despite his current apprehension, it had been a pleasant trip. Although he still kept a wary eye out for Imperial pursuit, none had appeared, and he was relieved that they had accomplished their task and destroyed the weapon. Over Faith’s protests, he kept the Elginar locked in the brig.
“They locked you up, let them get a fucking taste of what it feels like,” he said when she tried to argue against it. She frowned at him and he almost hoped she’d argue because of the way their arguments invariably ended, but she’d eventually shrugged and let it drop. The other two kidnapped scientists were actually excited to visit Elgin and its renowned Centers of Learning.
Faith bounced around the ship as her ankle healed, still curious about everything. She not only helped Studoc with his repairs, she had started spending more time in the med lab with Grabon discussing medical procedures and pharmaceutical remedies. Thank the gods he had talked her out of resuming her training with Kanithe, although he didn’t think that the other woman’s lectures about weaponry were much of an improvement.
“She doesn’t need to know that shit,” he grumbled when he found Kanithe demonstrating an Asing lightning blade. The sight of the slender black blade so close to Faith’s face made him roar with anger but both women found his objections more humorous than daunting. That experience had resulted in Faith receiving a spanking that both of them enjoyed so much he thought his heart would never stop pounding. Neither of them spoke about the future, although he was beginning to hope that maybe she would be willing to keep traveling with him, at least for a while. After all, his mother had lasted ten years before her love of scholarship overtook her love of family. Could he be satisfied with ten years with her, or would it just destroy him all the more when she finally left?
Now he shook off the gloomy prospect and pointed at the approaching planet. “The largest mainland, that’s where we’re headed.”
“What’s there?”
“Fucking Haskol.” At her raised brows he added, “Capital city. The largest Center of Learning is located there. It’s where my mother does her research and teaches a few classes.”
“Are you going to see her?”
“Yes, we are. Briefly,” he said, trying to hide his disquiet. As soon as they reached the system, he had sent a message to his mother about the Elginar scientists on board. He trusted her to make sure that they were properly supervised, but, of course, she had insisted on seeing him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his parents, he just didn’t want to drag up all the shit from his past.
“You have talked to your parents since you’ve left, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. Kefniss made me send a message as soon as we cleared Elgin space.” He didn’t mention that although he continued to send messages periodically, it had taken him three years to work up the fucking courage to have an actual conversation over vidlink. And what a fucking disaster that turned out to be. His mother had cried the whole time, even though she tried to pretend that everything was fine. His father had alternated between berating him angrily, primarily for upsetting his mother, and urging him to come home. But a year later, he tried again, and eventually tensions eased. “I contact them two or three times a year.”
“But you’ve never been back?”
“No. And I’m making this trip as short as fucking possible.” He had been determined never to set foot on the planet again and yet, here he was, about to do something he could have sworn would never happen.
Chapter Nineteen
As soon as they landed, they were met by a delegation of Elginar scholars. Faith shuddered and stayed in the background as they hustled the four prisoners away with disgusted looks. Even though they were obviously angry about the scientists’ activities, she didn’t like being so near to a group that reminded her of her kidnappers. Her fellow kidnap victims didn’t seem as concerned and chose to accompany them, leaving her alone with Athtar. The crew had already disbursed, leaving Kanithe to watch the ship and take care of Precious.
“Can’t we take her with us?” Faith asked anxiously as Athtar hailed something he called a hovercab.
“Dealing with a son who’s been gone for fucking years is probably enough.”
“I suppose.” She looked over her shoulder at the puppy longingly as they boarded the small vehicle. Having Precious along would have made her feel a lot less nervous. Athtar programmed in his parents’ address and they took off, the cab suiting its name by hovering slightly above the ground. Haskol was a pleasant city, with large trees framing a number of dignified buildings that carried a general air of age and scholarship. More Elginar scholars passed amongst the buildings and she huddled closer to Athtar.
As they neared the coast, the scenery changed, the streets becoming narrower and more lively, lined with shops and restaurants. The people thronging the streets bore more of a resemblance to Athtar, and a surprisingly variety of species intermingled with the native Elginar. The cab passed through a shopping district, then stopped half way down a street leading to the ocean. Tall, brightly painted townhouses lined each side of the street and Athtar led her up the steps of a yellow house to a bright blue door framed with flowering containers.
The door opened immediately, and a woman flew out, flinging her arms around Athtar and bursting into tears. He looked unusually helpless, but he hugged the woman, who had to be his mother, and patted her on the back.
“That’s enough, Lelani. You don’t want to drown the boy on his first day home.” Athtar’s father gently pulled the woman away, then clasped Athtar’s arm. Something passed between the two men that she couldn’t read, before his father nodded. The older man turned to her and took her hand gently, his big fingers rough and warm, as he bowed his head. “I’m Thordon. Welcome to our home. Please come in.”
“Oh, yes, please do. I’m so sorry. I’m Lelani.” She wiped her cheeks and turned to Faith. “I’m so happy to meet you, Faith. Athtar told me he was bringing his ma—, his friend with him. I’ve never met a human before.”
She said it so eagerly that it was impossible to take offense. Faith smiled a little ruefully. “Then I have the advantage. I have met several Elginar.”
“I’m sorry about that, too. Disgraceful.”
“I know you’re not all the same,” Faith said, darting a glance at Athtar. He took her hand and steered her inside. While Lelani led the way up another set of stairs, Faith studied Athtar’s parents.
Athtar’s father was almost as big as he was, obviously still in great shape. His hair was long as well but he kept it tied back neatly and he was clean shaven. Athtar’s mother was more of a surprise. A slender, beautiful woman dwarfed by her husband, one side of her head had flowing white gold locks while the other was shaved to reveal a series of intricate tattoos similar to the ones the Elginar project scientists displayed. She was only a little taller than Faith but her delicate grace made Faith feel like a baby elephant compared to her. It didn’t help that she tripped over a rug as soon as s
he started to enter a comfortable looking sitting room.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” His mother came rushing forward. “I keep meaning to move that rug and I keep forgetting.”
Faith’s face was red to the roots of her hair but the other woman’s distress seemed genuine, so she forced a smile. “It’s fine. I’m just not very coordinated.”
“I’m not, either,” Lelani said with an enchanting little giggle. “Thordon is always telling me to be careful but I’ll start thinking about my latest experiment and—”
“I get distracted.” They finished in unison and Lelani smiled. Faith relaxed as she sat down on an enormous couch and looked around. It was an interesting room, with a mixture of large comfortable furniture and smaller, more feminine pieces scattered about. A wide window looked down the street towards the sea, the panes flung open to let in the air. On one side of the window was a desk and bookcase, as cluttered as her own work areas tended to be. The couch and several big chairs were gathered around a huge fireplace at the back of the room. She could easily imagine living with Athtar in a place like this. Pushing aside the painful thought, she focused on Lelani who was watching her thoughtfully. The other woman smiled. “Shall we have some tea?”
“That sounds nice,” she said with a doubtful look at Athtar and his father. His mother laughed.
“Don’t worry. Thordon likes tea and Athi used to—” A stricken look crossed her face. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, Ma. I still like tea.” Athtar collapsed on the sofa next to her and tucked her under his arm. She blushed and snuck a quick look at Lelani, but she only smiled before ordering tea using a small device.
An awkward silence fell before a very young Elginar entered the room carrying a big tray. He stuttered nervously as he offered it to Lelani and it was quite clear he had an enormous crush on her.
“Just leave the damn tray and go,” Thordon snarled. The young man jumped, the tray teetering in his hands, but he managed to put it down without spilling it and departed with one final lingering glance at Lelani.
“That bastard is in love with you,” Thordon said grumpily.
“Nonsense, dear. I’m old enough to be his grandmother.”
Somehow, Faith doubted the young man thought of her that way. Thordon obviously agreed, but he only growled and started pouring the tea into nice sturdy looking mugs.
“He’s a student of mine,” Lelani said quietly. “Very talented but no money at all. We give him room and board and a small salary in exchange for some housework.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“Did you work your way through school?”
“Oh no. My parents were quite wealthy, and once they realized I was gifted, they wanted nothing but the best.” A bitter laugh escaped. “I would have been happier with a lot less best and a lot more love.”
Athtar tucked her closer and Lelani patted her hand.
“Many of our families are like that as well. My mother always pushed me, but my father made sure I had time for non-scholarly activities. Like casually walking past the docks ten times a day whenever a certain captain was in port.” She smiled at her husband, the love between them so obvious that a lump swelled in Faith’s throat.
Athtar squeezed her hand and she gave him a quick smile, wondering if her own feelings were as obvious. From the soft smile on Lelani’s face when she turned back to her, she suspected they were. With a quick cough, Faith changed the subject.
“How is your schooling organized?”
Lelani launched into a lecture about the testing required to move from one level to another in their school system. Fascinated, Faith probed for more details and the conversation moved on to cover subjects as varied as the technology behind the hovercabs and Lelani’s own research projects. The other woman was a witty and entertaining conversationalist, and Faith suspected she was an excellent teacher. Neither Athtar nor his father added much to the conversation, although both drank two huge mugs of tea and devoured the plate of sandwiches that accompanied them. Eventually they wandered off towards the window when she and Lelani started delving into the finer points of plant hybridization.
Athtar stood at the window with his father, acutely conscious that the man who loomed so largely in his memories was now a few inches shorter. An awkward silence hung between them until Thordon asked about his latest trading route and they spent some time discussing profitable smaller trades. He remembered having similar conversations in the past when his father had talked about his day. He’d missed this, he realized, and couldn’t help but wonder if his father had missed it, too.
“Let’s go get a beer,” Thordon suggested eventually. “I know that look on Lelani’s face. They’ll be at it for hours.”
“Yeah, all right.”
He walked over to tell Faith they were leaving. She looked up anxiously. “But you’ll be back?”
“Of course I fucking will. You’re not getting rid of me that fucking easily.” The words hung in the air between them and he wondered if she could hear the truth in them. He forced a smile. “We’re just going for a fucking beer. You and Ma enjoy talking about molecule blocks.”
“It’s molecular blocks.” She grinned up at him, looking so beautiful that he had to kiss her. When he raised his head, she was flushed and smiling.
“Don’t get into any fucking trouble while I’m gone.”
“I’ll try my best. Don’t go chasing strange women.”
“No one else I want to chase, baby.” Ignoring the suspiciously thoughtful look on his mother’s face, he jerked his head at his father and headed for the door.
Without a word they turned down the street to the docks. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised when they ended up at the Lucky Duktang. Fuck. Twenty-five years and his father was still drinking at the same place. And, of course, everyone knew him and, of course, his father had to present Athtar to all of them. He couldn’t help but notice how proud his father seemed to be to introduce him, but eventually Thordon led them outside to a small private deck overlooking the docks.
They drank in silence for a while, watching a ship preparing to depart. Men laughed and swore as they loaded the cargo. Birds circled overhead, checking for scraps. The sun beat down on the stone pavement but the breeze off the water cooled the air, bringing the smell of fish and ocean. How many times in his childhood had he sat and watched this same scene?
“Don’t you fucking miss it?” Athtar blurted out at last.
“Miss what? The ship?”
“All of it. The ship. Traveling. Freedom.”
His father laughed as he leaned back in his chair and put a foot up on the rail.
“Freedom? I reckon that’s one way to put it.”
“How the fuck else would you put it?”
“Responsibility?” Thordon raised his eyebrows. “You have your own ship now, you should know. Maybe you can choose where you go but you still have to pay your bills, same as everyone else.”
Fuck. He thought of the long years he had spent building his routes, worrying about keeping the old ship running and paying his crew. His father was right. Athtar’s memories of his childhood had been just that—the memories of a child, free from adult cares.
“So you don’t miss it?” Athtar asked again.
“Some of it, sure. I love the sea. Always have. And The Dancer was a fine ship.” He brought his chair down with a thud and looked straight at Athtar. “But what mattered the most to me was that your mother was happy. And she was worried about you.”
“About me? I was fucking happy.”
“I know you were, but she wanted you to have more opportunities.” Thordon shrugged. “Of course, you didn’t get ‘em quite the way she planned. It ‘bout broke her heart when you left. But in the end, I suspect it turned out for the best.”
“She took that job because of me?” he repeated. “Not because she wanted to do research at the university?”
“Yeah.” His father frowned at him. “What did ya think? I’m not sayi
ng it wasn’t a good opportunity for her, but she was happy with the work she was doing on the ship.”
“I didn’t know,” he said slowly. “And you agreed?”
“Told ya. Wanted your mom to be happy. Making your woman happy is the best thing in the world.” He coughed and looked back out at the docks. “Wanted my son to be happy, too.”
They sat in silence while they finished their beers, then headed home. It wasn’t until they were almost back to the house that his father spoke again. “Looks like you found yourself a good woman. Don’t fuck it up chasing after something that doesn’t exist.”
His father stopped in the kitchen to make arrangements for dinner while Athtar headed up to the sitting room. His mother was alone, sitting at her desk with two screens pulled up in front of her.
“Where’s Faith?”
“She’s in your room. She wanted some time alone to think.”
Fuck. That didn’t sound good. With a quick thanks, he took the next two flights of stairs at a run. Would he be too late? Had she already made a decision?
Chapter Twenty
Faith watched Athtar leave and blushed when she turned back to find Lelani watching her again.
“I never thought my son would choose a scholar for his mate.”
“Oh, he didn’t. I mean, it’s not like that.”
Lelani ignored her protests.
“I was so afraid that he would be prejudiced against them because of his childhood.”
Eager to change the subject, Faith asked, “You mean because of giving up the ship and moving here?”
“Yes. I wanted him to have a really good education and to get to know different types of people, to have opportunities he wouldn’t have on the ship. Athi was such a restless child and travel away from Elgin is very restricted unless you have adequate credentials.” She sighed. “Perhaps it was a mistake, but I wanted him to have the choice to leave Elgin if he wished. I just didn’t expect it to work out the way it did.”
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