Chapter Nine
Jax
T he familiar scent and sights of my mother’s and father’s rooms was a comfort I hadn’t realized I was missing so badly until I stood in their sitting room and my father handed me a drink.
It was almost exactly as I remembered it, the decor a mish mash of cultures and colors that should’ve been disjointed and jarring, but was so very much my parents that it wasn’t strange at all.
There wasn’t a couch; instead, huge, soft pillows in a variety of bright shades were scattered around their sunken sitting area around a low table of gold and red stone where a bowl of incense sat. The floor was covered in green and purple carpets, one top of the other so that there wasn’t a spot of Narrou that was exposed. A huge sideboard of carved Mishvaian wood sat to my left, crammed with bottles and glasses of all shapes and sizes. There was a computer monitor on the wall off to the right nestled among dozens of paintings and renderings of landscapes, one for every planet my mother had been to. In the corner were potted plants from various planets, some with bright yellow leaves and fuchsia buds, while others resembled Earth cacti. To the left of me was a doorway that led to their bedroom, the doorway to the upper right was the guest bath, and the door next to that was a study that my mother used for meditation and planning.
My father had a hydroponics lab on the ship, but there was a small bench off in one of the cramped corners where some of his latest cross-bred plants sat in small pots under grow lights. A photo caught my eye, one that I used to have in my room, and I plucked it off the table near the seedlings.
I was maybe seventeen when it was taken, and on either side of me were my mother’s first mate, Jorgin, and one of the first gunners my mother had ever worked with, a craggy man with two cybernetic eyes that we just called Bullseye. They’d been like uncles to me.
“I remember that day,” Father said, coming up behind me. “You’d finished your first job and Bullseye gave you one of his guns.”
“And it didn’t work,” I said with grin.
“You think he would’ve given you a working gun?”
We both laughed at that.
“The fact he gave you one at all was a badge of honor though,” my father continued.
“Yeah, I know. I still have it in my room. Where are they? I thought they’d be here.”
“Retired. Bought themselves a bar on one of the border planets, a real shithole but they love it.”
“Good for them.”
I replaced the picture carefully, missing them both.
“So what do you think of the place?” Father asked.
I got the impression there was something I was supposed to notice but no matter how hard I tried, there was nothing new that stood out to me.
“It looks exactly the same.”
“A few new paintings,” he said, “and I’m trying get Narrou to build me a small lab but they and Teneras say I bring enough work home, so I don’t think I’m going to get one anytime soon. That reminds me, is something wrong with Thanh’s Seahdohn?”
I frowned at him and shrugged.
“I have no idea, why?”
“Narrou said they sensed something off about her symbiote, like it wasn’t implanted correctly.”
I thought about what she said regarding her skin condition and constant pain. I didn’t know many sentients with symbiotes, but I definitely didn’t remember any saying they had as much trouble as Thanh seemed to. I’d never given it much thought because…well, it was Thanh, but now I was worried.
“I’ll ask her.”
My father nodded.
“If she needs anything let me know, I’d be happy to treat her.”
Mother came out of the bedroom and took the drink that Father held out to her.
“I got your message about the crew that helped you. They’ve been rewarded handsomely and a funeral with full honors has been arranged for Captain Justna'vok,” she said. “Now it’s your turn to tell me everything. What’s going on and why has our contact at Gex-Corps informed me that you’re AWOL?”
Father’s eyebrows winged up in silent questions.
“Yeah, I was kinda hoping that wouldn’t come up yet,” I said with a heavy sigh.
I laid out the situation to them as we all three sat on the cushions. Lights rolled and spun on the ceiling, letting me know that Narrou was also listening in. It had been a long time since I sat in this room, pouring out a problem to my family. It was nice in a way I hadn’t expected, and for the first time since I left home, I knew that I could trust the people around me implicitly.
“So you and your mate are in a bit of a tough spot,” my father said.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Mother inserted. “Son, your commanding officer is very well informed but it’s not the same as being in the thick of it. There’s a real chance that we could be in a faction war in the next few days .”
“Days? How did it get so out of hand so fast?”
“Oh, you know these newer kings and queens,” she waved her hand, mouth set tight in irritation. “All of them feel like they have to prove they’re the best, the most legendary of their houses. Normally we’d see a few skirmishes and everything would calm down. But this engine and the K’Tavi Emperor have changed the game overnight. The Octavians have let it slip that they’re closing in on the engine, the Justinians are furious that they will be cut out of the running for the Augustine throne if the Octavians win, and everyone is now picking sides between the two of them.”
“You’re not in contention for the Augustine throne?” I asked.
“Your mother has turned it down three times,” my father answered.
Mother rolled her eyes with a groan, as Narrou chimed around us, expressing their frustration as well.
But when I met her gaze, I could see what my mother wasn’t saying.
That she couldn’t accept that throne and risk someone she didn’t trust taking over Titus. With me gone, it would’ve been up to the other captains within Titus to elect a new king or queen.
If she had been able to take the throne, the Federations might not be on the verge of war; she could’ve united them against the K’Tavi and made sure no one helped Sylthor get the engine.
No sense in beating myself up over this, that’s wasted energy. I can’t change the past, but I can make a choice for the future that will make a difference. Maybe it’s time I came home...
“What if,” I began slowly, “I could help you get that throne now, would you take it?”
Her bright eyes narrowed as she examined me.
“Why now?”
“Because I’m not sure there’s a future for me in the GUP, and even if there is…look, we all know that the K’Tavi war is likely inevitable. The best we can hope for is to do all we can to mitigate the cost of the war. If I was back here, I could lead Titus, you could lead all the Federations, and cut off Sylthor’s use of us at the knees.”
“And the GUP would have a powerful ally among the Federations,” Mother whispered.
“Yes. You must’ve known that if I came back I’d feel a certain amount of loyalty to them.”
She let out a long breath and leaned back against Father’s side. Her long fingers traced the circular designs on her glass as she stared off in the distance, thinking.
“I did know that,” she admitted after a few minutes. “But I’d also hoped that your loyalty would be to us first.”
“It is, but this threat is so much bigger than just Titus. If he gets his hands on even half of a Thalanite engine, it could be disastrous. Well, if it’s real. It might just be another pile of junk.”
Father looked down at Mother and patted her arm.
“Tell him, Teneras.”
She closed her eyes.
“Tell me what?”
Mother sat up and speared me with a sharp gaze.
“It is real, the engine is the genuine article.”
My mouth fell open. I’d first heard the stories about Thalanites from other pirates, and then from my father. But Mother had always been very grounded when it came such things, encouraging me to look deeper into any story to find out what was truth and what was embellishment. This was the first time I’d ever heard her come close to saying the Thalanites were real at all. So what she said next nearly had my brain shutting down in shock.
“There have been sightings of an odd ship, and beings with bronze skin that no one has ever seen. At first, the stories were just the usual wild tales from ships that had gotten too close to the unknown reaches. But more and more ships, that had never gone that far out, were starting to tell stories. Until we finally saw one of the ships. Narrou didn’t know what to make of it at first, and I’d never seen a ship like that before. It moved so fast, and it was beautiful. When Narrou scanned it the readings matched those that had been shared among all the Federations. And I just knew that I was looking at a Thalanite ship.”
“Did you…did you speak to them?”
“No. They scanned us, and then flew off. But the timing of that ship and this engine isn’t a coincidence. I think the Thalanites know the engine is out here, they know that pirates are looking for it. And I'm not sure what will happen if they find out we are the ones going after it.”
The little boy in me was nearly jumping up and down in delight that the legends I’d devoured about time traveling beings with superpowers could turn out to be even a little bit true. The other part of me, the male that had a lot more worries than what cookie I would eat for a snack, realized that this was the worst possible time for my fantasies to come to life.
“This complicates things,” I muttered to myself.
Father snorted.
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“I can’t fail this mission, there has to be a way to get the engine without endangering any of the Federations.”
“You mean we , don’t you?” Mother asked. “You and Thanh are both on this mission, that’s what you said.”
“Yeah, of course. The mating is new and I’m not used to it yet.”
Mother nodded but kept her gaze trained on me like she’d found a flaw in my story and was now determined to unravel it.
“Thanh is new to the whole Intelligence Bureau spy thing. And she wasn’t too happy about have an AWOL on her record.”
“I thought I detected some tension between the two of you,” Mother said. “She seems angry with you.”
I wanted to tell her that was simply Thanh’s default setting but I gave her a tight smile and nod instead.
“Very perceptive, Mother.”
Father chuckled and got up with my glass, and his, to get us refills.
“Son, trust me when I say that it will blow over. Just admit where you were wrong, listen and try to do better next time. Marriage is as simple as it is complicated.”
“Sage advice from a man who kept an argument going for a solid month when we were first married,” Mother said with an indulgent grin.
“I was not as wise as I am now,” he replied over his shoulder. “But really, Jax, the first year or two is all about learning how to communicate, how to apologize. It’s a learning curve, but it’s worth it.”
“I like her,” Mother said. “She seems…different than your other conquests.”
“She is,” I said, taking the glass from my father, my mind latching onto the Thanh I was starting to know better. “She is also infuriating and has a comeback for literally everything. But she’s also brave and smart…talented, even if she doesn’t listen half the time. But…”
“You love her.”
It startled me.
Not the words exactly, but the way my mother said it, as if it were so very obvious. But how could it be? This was all fake, no matter what my biology was saying. And I wasn’t nearly so delusional to believe that I was deceiving my mother that well. Still, going down the train of thought that was the next logical step made me want to run and hide. I could not, absolutely, definitely could not be falling in love with the one person in the galaxy that wouldn’t piss on me to save my life if I was on fire.
But since I couldn’t come clean to my parents about that fact, I just smiled and nodded.
“Yep, guess so.”
“Here’s to your new mate,” Father said, holding up his glass. “We’re happy for you.”
“Thanks, Da,” I said, only a smidge guilty that I’d actually managed to bring someone home that my parents liked, and it was all a lie.
“Now about this mission,” Mother said, swirling the orange liquid in her glass, “you say that you’re not intending to use the engine?”
“It’s too powerful. I know it could be used for good but having that kind of power, to go back in time? It just feels like it’s something that would corrupt even the best intentions. It needs to be destroyed.”
My mother’s face softened and she cupped my cheek with her rough palm, rings cool against my skin.
“You have always had such a pure moral compass,” she whispered. “No matter what happened to you, no matter the injustices or the dangers, you always put others first and refused to take power if it could harm anyone.”
“Where do you think I learned that?”
Narrou’s lights rippled and their chimes sounded in a trill.
I chuckled and looked up at them.
“That’s right, I got it from Narrou.”
Mother shook her head, but it was playful, as she found one exposed spot of floor near her cushion and caressed it. A moment later, golden tendrils unfolded from the floor and wrapped around her hand, pulsing with light.
“Wherever you got it from, it will make you a wonderful king,” she said with a meaningful look.
I nodded, heart in my throat at the thought of taking over for her.
“We can talk about that later,” Father said, “first we need to steal the unstealable…is that a word?”
“It is when we’re talking about Daedalus Five,” Mother replied. “There’s a reason it’s one of the few places in the galaxy no pirate has ever tried to rob.”
“Well, until recently,” Father added.
“And look what happened. Dead bodies and destroyed ships. I won’t risk Narrou or my crew for that, but I will assist you.”
“I’m all ears,” I said.
Narrou let out a startled tone and I chuckled.
“It’s an Earth saying Narrou, I didn’t grow more ears, it means I’m listening.”
“I’ve got an idea about a ship for you, and a crew too, but you’re going to have to trust me,” Mother said, her white eyes intense.
“Why do I have a feeling I’m going to hate this?”
“Oh, you are,” my father said.
“But this is the only way,” Mother shot him an irritated glare. “If the rumors about Daedalus are true, that means there are very few in this galaxy that can handle that kind of job. You’re going to need some very particular people to pull it off. I’ve got a few ideas, but the request has to come from you. That’s the only way they’ll do it.”
“Yeah, but won’t it look strange if I’m the one putting the crew together for a job that’s got your name on it?”
“My name won’t be on it. Yours will, as the Seventh Son of Queen Teneras, Titus.”
I frowned at her as I considered the words. I wasn’t opposed to doing it myself. In fact, if it would save those I loved from danger, I preferred it.
“You don’t want me to hide who I am? You want it known that I did this?”
“Yes.”
“Why? That would still put a target on you, especially from the Octavians and the Justinians.”
She and Father exchanged glances and nerves started to buzz under my skin. I knew that look, it was the same one they got when we did our biggest job, the one that had set my mother at the top of the Pirate Federations for years and solidified her fame.
“I want everyone to know, because it will be your pahkari.”
I sat back in stunned silence as the weight of what she’d proposed hit me. The pahkari was a single job of such difficulty and significance that it proved to all others within a Federation that the pirate was worthy to be King or Queen. I had an advantage because of my birthright but I still had to perform the rite. This job would not only fulfill that, it would also be considered my mothers' pahkari for the Augustine throne.
“If I do this, what then?” I asked, my throat dry.
“I’ll announce it through the proper channels, confirm that you’ve done it. Then, I will put myself forth as the logical choice for the Augustine throne.”
“And will you get it?”
“If my Federation is the one to pull off a heist of this magnitude? You bet I will,” she said with a predatory grin.
“The question is,” my father said, leaning forward and pinning with his gaze, “will you take her place with Titus?”
I knew this is what they wanted, it was what I’d been raised for. But when I left, I thought that future was gone. Now it was being handed to me.
Power, riches, my own fleet of ships and a position that would demand respect from the GUP. It was all extremely tempting. But was it what I wanted ?
My future with Gex-Corps is uncertain. If Zephyr doesn’t come back, or can’t correct my record, then I’ll spend years in a prison colony. Here, I can at least do something good, something that will have an impact.
If I was being honest with myself, seeing Althea, of all people, settle down, create a home for herself, had stirred in me a desire for the same. I’d never find that on Zores, I was a stranger there, an outsider because I had no ancestry to anchor me. But as King of Titus I could build a home on any ship in the fleet, a life. I could go out, explore, trade, do a job here or there if I wanted, when I wanted.
“Think about it, son,” Mother said with a smile.
I nodded, not sure I could stop now that she’d planted the idea in my head.
But first, that damn engine. Which means getting a crew and a ship.
“Here’s everything we could dig up on Daedalus Five and the bank,” I handed my mother the disk.
“I’ll analyze it and we can plan from there.”
“And I’ll have our spies see what they can dig up to fill in any holes in the research,” Father said.
Narrou chimed above us and Mother’s smile widened.
“Dinner is nearly ready, let’s continue this discussion after the ceremony,” she said.
“What ceremony?” I asked with dread.
This night just keeps getting better and better.
“The marking ceremony,” she said. “Do you really think I’m going allow your new mate to do a job without one? She won’t have any protection without being marked as the Seventh Daughter.”
Mother was right, but I also knew it wouldn’t go over well with Thanh in the least.
“You did tell her about it, didn’t you?” my father asked.
“Um…no,” I said, choosing to go with honesty. “I forgot.”
He chuckled and clapped me on the back.
“It’s easy to get distracted by good sex at the beginning of any relationship— ”
“Yeah, thanks for the understanding,” I said, as my cock stirred in my sheath. “Should we find Thanh and go to dinner? I’m starved.”
The last thing I wanted was to discuss sex with Thanh in front of my parents and spring a boner.