Between her job and the demands of taking care of the children, it was going to get pretty lonely around here when her husband left with Bethany Anne.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to become friends with her mother.
Three grandchildren and a space station named after her should go some way toward laying a foundation.
High Tortuga, Space Fleet Base, Inner Courtyard
Bethany Anne arrived home at last and walked the last few paces across the softly-lit courtyard instead of slipping through the Etheric again.
She thought she might have missed dinner after all until she opened the front door and smelled goulash. “I'm home!” she called.
“We know!” came the chorus from the living area.
“I know you know,” she finished their little ritual with a contented smile, walking through to find her world gathered around the kitchen side of the island.
Michael turned to Bethany Anne with everything he had to say written in his eyes. “Good to have you home.”
Bethany Anne blew him a kiss and spread her arms wide. “It’s good to be home. Now, what do I have to do to get some love around here?” Her stomach let out a loud growl.
She sniffed delicately as she wrapped an arm around each of her children. “And some dinner?”
“I’m with Mom,” Gabriel agreed.
Alexis rolled her eyes at her brother. “That’s not surprising. You’re with whoever has the food.”
Michael chortled quietly. “I have the food. We will eat when we have somewhere to sit.” He waved his spoon at the twins, then at the table. “Let your mom get in. You can both make yourselves useful while you wait.”
Alexis and Gabriel got to setting the table, while Bethany Anne went around the island into the kitchen and took out four deep bowls from the bottom cupboard.
She lined them up on the counter by the stove for Michael to fill. No more waiting. I got the weekly report in from QT2, and we’re ready.
Michael nodded once and sharply. Then it is time to make your decision, Bethany Anne. You know where I stand, but we need to be in agreement.
Bethany Anne forestalled him with a look. I’ve made my decision. Alexis and Gabriel are coming with us, providing they want to and they understand what it is they’re asking for.
Michael nodded and moved on to the next bowl. I would also insist they continue their training. They still have a lot to learn.
Bethany Anne picked up two of the bowls and headed for the table. Of course. I was getting to that. I’m leaving for QT2 in the morning. I want you to prepare Alexis and Gabriel and join me there before the fleet departs.
Michael turned to drop his ladle in the sink and followed her with the other two bowls. Which will be when, exactly?
Bethany Anne pressed her lips together. If I listen to Bart, seven days. Qui’nan tells me five.
Michael smirked as he put the bowls down on the table. So we’re going to leave in three days?
Bethany Anne snickered. If only. If it was just me, I’d be halfway there already. You know that. She felt a gentle probing at the edge of her consciousness. One moment. Our daughter is trying to eavesdrop.
Wait, Michael urged. We have a teachable moment here.
Bethany Anne met his eyes with a matching twinkle in her own. She created an almost imperceptible gap, just big enough for Alexis to sneak through. I don’t know how Barnabas will feel about being responsible for two teenagers…but maybe a few years with him will teach Alexis how to listen in on our conversations without getting caught.
They heard a tiny mental squeak and Alexis withdrew.
Bethany Anne gave Alexis a stern look across the table as she took her seat. “Serves you right for eavesdropping.”
Alexis had the good grace to look ashamed. “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. “Hmmm.”
“How did your day go, Mom?” Gabriel inquired once the four of them were seated and had begun eating.
Bethany Anne reached for the breadbasket. “It went easier than I expected. Tabitha and Peter were glad to stay behind, and John and Jean were fine about spending some time away from each other. The guys—that went about as expected, too.”
Michael read the words she wasn’t saying. “Which made it all the more difficult.”
Bethany Anne looked into her bowl as she dipped a piece of her roll. “Something like that.” She smiled at them all and popped the bread into her mouth.
Alexis spoke up. “Why is it more difficult? Surely if everyone is happy, then that makes it easier.” She turned to snag a roll from the breadbasket before Bethany Anne passed it to Michael.
“I don’t get it, either,” Gabriel chipped in, spearing a chunk of meat on the end of his fork. “Is it because you want to take everyone with you but you can’t?”
Bethany Anne nodded. “Again, my children amaze me.” She passed Michael the basket “Are you going to miss Tabitha and Peter when they leave for Devon?”
“Not really,” Alexis told her. “Aunt Tabbie won’t leave us for real.”
“We will still be able to see her and Uncle Pete in the game world whenever we want,” Gabriel explained.
“You do realize that there will be very little time for them to spend in the Vid-docs?” Michael clarified. “This is not a scenario in the game, children. We do not have a set list of objectives to complete in order to win against the Ooken.”
Alexis sighed. “We didn’t think it was going to be anything like that, Dad. War isn’t a game when real lives are involved. I’m happy Aunt Tabbie is staying behind. Then she will be relatively safe, and so will Uncle Pete and Todd.” She shrugged. “We will find some time to spend together, and that will be enough until we are reunited.”
Bethany Anne chewed her bread thoughtfully. “Jokes about your Uncle Barnabas aside, do you understand what coming with us would entail?” She paused, waiting for Michael to confirm what she already knew.
Alexis and Gabriel shared a long look, then nodded and turned back to their parents with identical serious expressions.
“We think we do,” Alexis told them truthfully. “But we can’t know for sure until we experience it for real.”
“We understand that we can’t fight yet,” Gabriel continued, “but we can contribute in other ways.”
Can you believe them? Michael asked. I know we raised them this way, but for children to actually turn out the way you planned is quite rare, you know.
Bethany Anne laughed lightly in his mind. Hold that thought. They’ve been pretty sheltered so far. There’s still plenty of time for them to rebel, my love, She became serious a moment. But believe me, I know how much we lucked out with them. You never met Lilian’s daughter.
Michael’s amusement trickled through in his voice. Hellion, was she?
Bethany Anne mopped up the last bit of her sauce with the remainder of her bread roll. You have no idea. Like I said, we’re fucking lucky. She paused with the bread halfway between the bowl and her mouth to put Alexis and Gabriel out of their agony.
The twins were practically bouncing in their seats in anticipation of her decision, knowing she was the only thing between them and their hopes of seeing some of the galaxy.
Bethany Anne waved the piece of bread. “You can come with us.”
Alexis and Gabriel jumped up and ran over to hug her.
“You’re the best, Mom!” Gabriel exclaimed, squeezing her tightly.
Alexis grabbed her from the other side, pressing her cheek to Bethany Anne's. “Thank you, Mom. We won’t let you and Dad down.”
Bethany Anne laughed and kissed them on their foreheads. “I should hope you do so at least once, or you’re not living. For now, that mindset works just fine. You’re good kids, and we believe you’re mature enough that you don’t have to stay home.”
“Your mother and I couldn’t be prouder of the people you are becoming,” Michael told them. “In fact, I’m even going to release you from your chores tonight.
We begin packing up the house tomorrow, so enjoy your free time.”
Gabriel ducked out of Bethany Anne's arms. “Cool! I didn’t think I’d get any time to draw today.”
Alexis’ reaction was a touch more extreme. She released Bethany Anne and whirled to grab Michael’s arm. “Tomorrow? Oh, no, I need longer than that. Details, Dad. What is our exact departure date, and who is coming with us? Which ship will we take? Is there a limit to how much of our stuff we can take with us?” Her eyes widened. “Please tell me we can take Phyrro with us. I couldn’t bear it if we had to leave him behind.”
Michael shook his head and gently turned Alexis toward the door by her shoulders. “Tomorrow. Don’t you have something you’ve been waiting to read?”
Alexis nodded somewhat sullenly. “Yes, Dad.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Come on, Alexis, before you earn us chores instead of free time.” He turned to Bethany Anne and Michael. “Night!”
Alexis allowed her brother to lead her from the room. “Night, Mom. Night, Dad.”
“Goodnight, children,” Michael replied with a smile. “Sleep well.”
Bethany Anne blew them each a kiss. “Goodnight, my loves. I’ll see you both in a few days.”
Bethany Anne and Michael cleared the dinner things away and headed to bed. She yawned and leaned into him as they walked down the corridor to their bedroom. What an absolute bitch of a day. If I had one ounce of energy left, I'd float to bed.
Michael held her a little bit closer. I could always carry you, he offered. Or turn us both to Myst.
Bethany Anne chuckled. I would even allow you to do that if we weren’t five steps from the door.
When they walked into the bedroom, Bethany Anne headed straight for the bed and sat down on the edge. She crossed one leg over the other to remove her shoe while Michael slipped his off by the door.
Bethany Anne looked up when Michael walked past her into the bathroom with his shirt in his hand. Are we doing the right thing? Really?
We’re doing what we believe to be right, Michael agreed. There was the soft sound of his pants hitting the laundry basket, followed by running water. As all parents have done since the dawn of humanity. Alexis and Gabriel are living proof we are succeeding.
Bethany Anne pressed her lips together. I hate when you’re right. It’s been happening far too often for my liking. She sighed and yawned again as the shoe finally came undone. Did I ever work out how to take my clothes off using the Etheric? I’m too tired to remember.
Michael chuckled dryly in her mind. I don’t know, my love, he replied. But I suggest you work it out quickly. The water is wonderfully hot.
She switched legs and started on the fastener on the other shoe. I'll be two seconds.
Devon, First City, The Hexagon, Network Command Center
Sabine tapped her foot, waiting for Mark to make some progress on locating K'aia. It had been almost an hour since the orphan Yollin had made Sabine’s drone and slipped it.
Mark turned in his chair to look pointedly at her. “That's not going to make it happen any faster.” He ran his hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. “At least we have images of her to search by. It’s taking Winstanley and me some time to search the city, because our satellites were built at least a thousand years before Michael was born.”
Sabine put her hands on her hips and tapped louder. “You’re joking.”
“Barely.” Mark shrugged. “But we are getting there, and from what you and Ricole have told me, this Yollin is pretty good at taking care of herself.”
Sabine glared at him. “But she’s still young. She shouldn’t have to take care of herself!” She sighed and sat down in the chair next to Mark’s. “You can’t blame me for being concerned. We have no idea where she is or what she’s going through.”
Mark turned back to the console and continued typing. “I know, but the network wasn’t designed to pinpoint a single Yollin in a huge city. We’re working as fast as we can to find her.” He pointed at another screen. “We have a call.”
Sabine checked the screen and picked up right away when she saw that it was Tabitha. “Hey!”
Tabitha grinned. “Hey, yourself. How’re things for you guys?”
Mark slipped his headset off one ear. “Is that Tabitha? Tell her I said hi.”
Sabine smirked. “Of course. Then the next time you piss me off, I can tell Jacqueline.” She winked at him and turned back to the screen. “Mark says hi.”
“Hi, Mark,” Tabitha called. “Give Jacqueline my love.”
Sabine immensely enjoyed the bright shade of red Mark turned. She grinned at Tabitha, who was cackling with laughter with her audio muted. Sabine waved to get her attention. “So, what can I do for you? I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”
Tabitha got control of herself. “You guessed right. I’ve got some pretty big news, and I need you guys to keep it to yourselves for now.”
“What’s up?” Sabine asked.
Mark piped up, “Are you pregnant again already?”
Tabitha’s mouth dropped open.
Sabine reached over and slapped Mark on the back of the head.
Mark grabbed his head. “OW!”
“Be glad I wasn’t there to do it myself,” Tabitha told him. “Although I will be. Soon. That’s my news. Peter and I are moving to Devon for a while. We thought you kids might know a good neighborhood to set up house.”
Mark snorted. “Yeah, High Tortuga. This place is still a dump.”
Tabitha pointed at Mark. “Does he have to be here for this?”
Sabine nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. But we can go somewhere else.”
“Great idea,” Tabitha agreed. “I’ve already got one male whining in my ear. Oh, he’s pooped.” Tabitha held up a finger. “I’ll be back in, like, eight minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”
Sabine listened to Tabitha coo to her baby for a moment, then muted the audio and transferred the call to her tablet and headed out. “Tell me if anything changes with K’aia,” she called back.
“I’ll let you know as soon as we find anything,” Mark assured her. He switched to their link. Just don’t let Tabitha hurt me.
Sabine rolled her eyes as the door locked behind her. She made her way to the cafeteria on the fighter’s level, looking for a hot meal.
Tabitha returned as Sabine took a seat with what the chef insisted on calling a rarebit, but she knew as a croque monsieur. She rested her tablet against the condiment basket and blew on her food.
“Whatcha got there?” Tabitha asked, eyeing the steaming plate curiously.
Sabine pulled the two halves apart. “Cheese—not real cheese, ham—not real ham, and toast—which is real bread, since we can get grain out here.” She took a small bite and chewed quickly. “I know a few places for sale. You want room for people to stay, right?”
Tabitha nodded. “Oh, yeah. Maybe rural, but still close enough to see people when we want to. And plenty of outdoor space.”
Sabine’s eyes lit up. “How do you feel about a lake view?”
Tabitha shrugged. “You know, I’m ambivalent, but I think Peter would like that. For some reason, he’s taken a liking to fishing. Keeps taking me on boat trip scenarios.”
Sabine snickered. “Maybe he’ll leave you home if you get him the real thing. Actually, there’s something you can help me with.”
“If I can, I will,” Tabitha replied. “What’s going on?”
Sabine quickly recounted the story so far; K’aia showing up out of the blue, kicking Ricole’s ass, and then leaving; how she’d somehow slipped Sabine’s surveillance.
“I just want to confirm that Bethany Anne knows this Yollin,” she finished. “And if she would approve her passage to High Tortuga, then she should do so before the youngster gets herself in trouble attempting to sneak aboard one of our ships.”
Tabitha looked off for a moment, her eyes unfocused. A minute later she nodded and turned back to Sabine. “Done. Also, they’re watc
hing for her now. She’ll be okay.”
Sabine felt a weight lift. “Thank you. You’re all more than welcome to stay with us while we find you a place to live.”
Tabitha shook her head. “We wouldn’t want to intrude.”
Sabine understood that what Tabitha really meant was that she had a small baby and she didn’t want to be intruded upon. “The residential part of the building is entirely soundproofed. We all live communally, so we knocked three of the apartments into one. That left the penthouse apartment for guests, and you’re honestly welcome to it for as long as you need.”
Tabitha grinned. “In that case, we’d be glad to impose on you. We’ll be there in a few days. Can you get the place babyproofed?”
Tabitha dropped the connection before Sabine had a chance to ask what “babyproofing” was.
She blanked the tablet screen and bit into her croque monsieur with a very Gallic shrug. “I’ll figure it out, somehow.”
7
Devon, First City, Spaceport
K’aia threaded her way through the crowd in front of the spaceport, careful not to jostle anyone and draw attention to herself. The last thing she wanted was to get noticed by one of the Guardians right before she attempted to sneak into the port.
Sneaking wasn’t the ideal choice, or even an easy one, given her four-legged Yollin physique, but K’aia’d had years of practice at being invisible, and she didn’t see she had any other choice.
K’aia left the line to come at the problem from another angle. She had originally thought to buy a ticket at the gate with the credits she’d earned in street fights these last few days, but it didn’t look as though that was an option.
She had only been in the line for a minute when a trio of disgruntled Yollins walked past. One bitched loudly that this was the only way to get to High Tortuga. Another snapped that they had better get the relevant permissions to travel before she dragged them all out here again.
Her hastily revised plan was to find a way into the spaceport to stow away aboard a ship that looked about ready to leave. She would throw herself on the mercy of the captain once they were underway.
All’s Fair in Blood and War (The Kurtherian Endgame Book 4) Page 7