18. Hakan
Hakan
Nazen appears in the viewport, a blue jewel in space, a beacon of safety. In recent years, the planet has become a haven for refugees from across the galaxy, a neutral world where beings displaced by war and conquest can rebuild their lives.
And now it's going to be our home.
"There," I point out to Daisy and the boys as we descend through the atmosphere. “The city ahead is our destination.”
The boys step closer to the viewport, eagerly taking in the variety of architecture below. Many of the buildings are traditional Nazenese structures, others clearly cobbled together from salvaged materials and determination. The streets are bustling. In the skies around us, craft zip to and fro.
As we near the landing field, Davi yells, “Look!”
"Grandfather's ship!" Riz exclaims, pressing his face to the viewport.
Sure enough, parked on the field below is the craft we helped rescue, battered but intact.
*Grandfather!* both boys send out mentally, their excitement so strong it makes me smile.
A moment later, a mental response comes back — weaker than the boys', but warm with love. *My grandsons. You're safe. You're here.*
The boys are practically vibrating with eagerness, their shields completely down in their excitement.
The moment the landing struts touch down, they're at the hatch.
"Wait!" Daisy calls after them. "Let us make sure it's safe first —"
But the instant the hatch opens, they’re gone, their young voices calling for their grandfather.
I exchange a glance with Daisy, and we’re both smiling.
"Come on," I say, offering her my hand. "Let's meet their grandfather properly."
We exit the transport and find the boys wrapped around an elderly Andreevan male, his arms around both of them, tears streaming down his pale orange face.
“Thank the stars you’re alive," the elderly Andreevan keeps repeating. "Alive and safe. Thank the stars.” He’s clearly frail, his orange skin faded to a pale peach, his soft green hair thinning.
He waves us closer, his large orange eyes bright with gratitude as he holds his grandsons.
“It is an honor to meet you both,” he says. “Riz and Davi have told me so many wonderful things.”
I bow with respect. “The honor is mine, sir.”
“Please call me by my name, Kano,” he says. “I owe you both a debt of gratitude that I can never repay. Thank you for rescuing Riz and Davi. Thank you for saving me.”
"I did what anyone would do," I reply.
"No." Kano shakes his head. "Most beings would have left the boys in the lab. Most would have prioritized their own safety over rescuing children who aren't their own." He extends a trembling hand. "Thank you."
I clasp his hand gently, mindful of his fragility. "You owe me nothing. The boys have become…." I glance at Riz and Davi, who are watching with hopeful eyes. “I think of them as my sons."
Kano’s gaze intensifies, and in my mind I feel the flow of his telepathic assessment. He's reading my thoughts, gauging my character, determining whether I'm worthy of his grandsons' trust.
I don't shield myself against it. I open fully and let him see the truth — my love for the boys, my commitment to protecting them, my determination to give them the family they deserve.
After a long moment, he turns to Daisy. ”And you are the one who is new to us."
Daisy steps forward, her chin lifted with quiet courage despite facing a telepathic alien who can read her every thought. “Kano, it’s an honor to meet you.”
"The boys speak of you with great love. They have claimed you as their mother."
"And I claim them as my sons,” she says without hesitation, “if doing so meets with your approval.”
Kano studies us both for a long moment. “What you’re asking is momentous — perhaps the most important question I will weigh in the time I have left. Will you allow this old man some time to reflect?”
“Of course,” Daisy says immediately. “We completely understand and agree.”
“Thank you.” Kano gestures behind him. “Others are approaching who are eager to greet us. They have a gathering planned.” He turns to Daisy. “One of them is a female from your world.”
A Kravan warrior appears at the edge the landing pad — and I see with a jolt that it’s my old friend Adan, who I haven’t seen since the destruction of Krava.
And next to him is a human female, soft and tiny and curvy like Daisy, with brown hair and brown eyes.
“Daisy?” the female calls out. “You must be Daisy, right?”
Next to me, Daisy is tearing up. “I can’t believe this.”
The other Earth woman pulls Daisy in for a fierce hug. “Welcome to Nazen. We’re so glad you’re here, safe and sound. My name is Carmen.”
The two women hug and cry, their words tumbling over each other
With a smile, Adan pulls me in for an enthusiastic hug. “Hakan. It’s been too long, my friend.”
I pull back, emotion threatening to overwhelm me. “It is good to see you, Adan.”
“The others are waiting for us,” he tells me. “Everyone is eager to meet you.”
A few moments later, in a private room in a nearby restaurant, we meet those who arrived before us.
Adan and Carmen introduce us to their adopted Devorran daughter, Naya, and their newborn daughter, Xala.
We meet Abigail and Karn, their adopted Sorvanian daughter, Tia, and their young son, Landar.
We meet Breanna and Xan, their adopted Verran son, Taq, and their newborn daughter, Zora.
Riz and Davi are similar in age to Taq and seem to instantly hit it off.
After the greetings are over, one of the Earth women, Breanna, calls for the room to settle down. “Gather around, everyone. There’s someone who wants to speak with all of us.” She sets a small square device on the table and says, “Commander, we’re all here.”
Almost instantly, the device activates and a holographic representation of the Commander appears above the device.
Daisy gasps. “Where did you get that?”
“The ship we were on had this replicator-thingie,” Breanna said, “so I had it make it.”
“Wow,” Daisy says, leaning closer.
“Everyone,” the Commander says, “I’m pleased to see you all there. Hakan and Daisy, welcome to Nazen.”
“Thank you, Commander,” Daisy says. “We’re very happy to be here.”
“The purpose of this gathering is to update you all on the Grokkans’ wormhole technology. But first, for Daisy and Hakan, an update from Mavorrah. The rescue mission was a success — all surviving prisoners were extracted safely."
Relief floods through me. "All of them?"
“All of them. And the lab has been destroyed.”
Next to me, the boys relax with visible relief.
“The data recovered by Hakan from the lab confirms our fears: The Grokkans' rumored wormhole technology is very real. Their goal is to develop a method of instantaneous transport across vast distances. They’ve made substantial progress toward that goal.”
Murmurs ripple through the assembled group.
“At this point," the Commander continues, "the technology is unstable and unpredictable. As best as we can tell, the wormholes are inadvertently pulling beings from random locations, including human females from Earth."
Daisy and I exchange a glance.
"We don't yet understand why that’s happening,” the Commander says. “Also — and this is critically important — the Grokkans don't seem to realize it’s happening.”
“Wait,” Daisy says, her brow furrowed. “Commander, are you saying the Grokkans don’t know they’re wormholing humans from Earth?”
The Commander nods. “That’s exactly what we believe.”
“How is that possible?”
He shrugs. “We’re not sure. Based on what happened with you, it’s possible that the wormholes are sending humans to spots near the locations where the technology is being tested.”
“Like in my case, when I woke up in the jungle about a mile from the Grokkan lab?”
“Possibly, yes.”
“Why Earth?”
Another shake of his head. “Also unclear. But let’s be clear about this: If the Grokkans discover Earth — a planet full of beings compatible with Kravan bonding — they will target it for conquest. Billions of humans will die or be enslaved. We cannot let that happen."
Daisy's hand tightens and I give it a squeeze, offering silent support.
"Therefore," the Commander continues, "I'm ordering everyone here to exercise extreme caution about what information you share regarding Earth."
He looks at each person in turn, his gaze fierce. "This is not just about protecting one planet. This is about protecting a species that may prove crucial to Kravan survival. We owe them our protection."
He gestures to all of us — Kravan warriors, human women, children of various species. “You are our strength. Not our weapons or our ships, but your connections with each other. Your willingness to become family, to protect each other, to build something new together."
His words resonate. This is what I’m fighting for now — not the old rigid society that the High Council tried to preserve, but something new and better.
"We're stronger together than apart," the Commander concludes. "Remember that. Protect each other. Build your families and communities. And know that while the threats we face are real, so is the hope we're creating."
Kano raises his hand. "If I may say something?"
"Of course," the Commander replies.
Kano's orange eyes are bright as he looks around the room. "I am an old man. My body is slowing. My transition draws near. But I stand with you today grateful and hopeful. My grandsons are alive and have found two people” — he turns to me and Daisy — “who love and cherish them.”
He takes a deep breath. “When my time comes, I want Hakan and Daisy to be recognized as Riz and Davi's guardians and parents. They've earned that right through their actions and their love."
“Grandfather," Riz says as he and Davi rush into his arms.
“Hush, now," Kano says gently. “My time is not here yet. What I feel today is joy knowing that you will be cared for by people who love you. It’s a gift many don't receive."
He turns to the room. "I also offer to teach, to all who wish to learn, the art of telepathic shielding, of mental discipline. It's a skill that could benefit everyone."
"We accept," the Commander says immediately. "Both your request and your offer. Thank you, Kano."
Daisy is crying quietly beside me, and I pull her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Our family," I whisper. "All of us."
"All of us," she agrees.
The Commander signs off shortly thereafter. The other human women surround Daisy and offer to show her around and help her settle in.
The boys are with Kano, their mental chatter a soothing background hum.
And I stand there, watching my family — the one I never thought I'd have again — and feel something I haven't felt in five years.
Peace.
Not the absence of danger — that will never be true in this galaxy. But the presence of something worth fighting for. Worth living for.
"Hakan?" Daisy's voice pulls me from my thoughts. "The ladies want to show me the gardens and the school they're building. Will you be okay without me for a bit?"
"Go," I assure her. "Get to know your Earth sisters."
She kisses me — quick and sweet — then heads off with Abigail, Breanna, and Carmen, their laughter already filling the air.
I watch her go, this small compassionate human who chose to stay with me and build a life in the stars rather than return to the world she knew.
And I send up a silent prayer of gratitude to whatever force brought her to me.
Because she didn't just save my life.
She gave me a reason to live it.