Image by Vlad Aivazovsky from Pixabay

Kuen sat ramrod straight while High Admiral Aceves and High Admiral Mercado read through the reports of the incident on Junna. It had taken three months to sort out the mess made of the supply dump, extricate the survivors, and tally the names of the dead with the lists of those who were supposed to be there. Kuen had been separated from the rest of the survivors and kept isolated. His injuries were treated but he was given no information and any attempts to contact anyone were stymied instantly.

“Lt. Nakano, I must say, the High Command is very pleased with how you handled the situation on Junna in spite of your near insubordination near the end,” High Admiral Aceves said.

“I wouldn’t have needed to come across as insubordinate if you’d sent us enough supplies to keep my people fed,” Kuen snapped, already past the limit of his patience.

High Admiral Mercado coughed. “Yes, well, that was a definite mistake on our part, Lieutenant Nakano. For that, we apologize. It seems that our lack of foresight and care for your soldiers led to several of them joining the insurrectionists. Were you aware of this?”

“I knew several of my unit were very dissatisfied with how things were going,” Kuen said. “I was forced to resort to strict disciplinary measures to keep many of them in line. I was not aware of any of my unit siding with the Colonies openly.”

“Several of your mechanical corps had spent some time on Aruistrides, and ended up fighting hard to protect one Synon Kapronen from being discovered. Were you aware of his presence?” High Admiral Mercado asked.

“I do remember a soldier of that name. He was known to several members of my mechanical corps and I assumed – it seems incorrectly – he came from Lieutenant Colby’s unit after the Colonial forces detonated their first set of explosives,” Kuen said.

“He was a Colony soldier, part of a tactical unit known as Phoenix squadron, and was presumed to be the last surviving member left on Junna. He refused to talk and was summarily executed. As were seven members of the mechanical corps because they tried to protect him,” High Admiral Aceves said.

Kuen kept his emotions in check. At least Synon wasn’t a prisoner of war, as he’d promised Fiera. “Did you find any other notable standouts among my men?”

“None that are of any importance, though it is suspected that other members of Phoenix squadron may have been present and died in the second explosion. We won’t know for certain until we do full genetic scans of all the remains,” High Admiral Aceves said.

“Your quick thinking saved the lives of those under your command, Lieutenant Nakano. You were able to preserve what was left of your supplies and you saved as many as you could by relocating them to higher ground,” High Admiral Mercado said. “Clever of you to use those natural caves as a place to hide and keep the injured free of additional harm until we could send retrieval shuttles for you.”

“I am curious as to how you knew what animals could be trapped on Junna. We didn’t even have that information,” High Admiral Aceves commented.

“I didn’t. I took a chance that the herbivores were the least poisonous of the beasts available and hunted them. I also looked at what plants they ate and used the portable scanners we had left to see if they were safe for us to consume as well. The Academy taught me how to survive on a planet with no supplies. I applied that training here and kept my people alive,” Kuen said.

“You are very well respected by all those you saved, Lieutenant Nakano. Which is why the High Command will overlook your little act of insubordination at the end,” High Admiral Aceves said.

High Admiral Mercado sighed. “Truth be told, Lieutenant Nakano, the High Command is immensely proud of you – even if there are a few members who are loathe to admit that fact.” She gave High Admiral Aceves a long look. “You are free to choose any command post you wish and we’ll assign you there. Or, if you are tired of combat, we will return you to the reserves and let you resume civilian life.”

“I would prefer to leave the CAF altogether,” Kuen said. “I have had my fill of death and have served more than the required amount of time.”

High Admiral Mercado nodded her head sympathetically. “I rather thought so. I’ve got your discharge papers right here. A friend is waiting to join you on your travels. Many thanks for your service, Lieutenant Nakano.” She tapped something on a tablet and a small printer spit out a document. She signed it and passed it over to him before indicating which door he was supposed to pass through.

Kuen saluted one final time before walking through the door. A hard fist connected with his shoulder. “Starfall take you, you damned idiot.” Gaspare stepped from the shadows, already dressed in civilian clothing. “I thought you were dead.”

“I wish I was,” Kuen muttered.

“What?” Gaspare stared at him.

Kuen pulled his ID tags out just enough for Gaspare to see the ring hanging from them. “Get me off this blasted rock and I’ll tell you what I can.”

Gaspare nodded. Kuen changed into a set of clothing that would have given his mother a fit if she’d seen him in them before joining Gaspare on the Benoit family’s private shuttle. They took it to the nearest space port before the two bought tickets on a passenger liner back to the Core.

Several soldiers, all mustered out, were doing the same thing. Most were traveling in third class. Kuen and Gaspare bought first class tickets, because that was the only way to get any privacy. The two men didn’t speak again until they were in darkspace.

Gaspare knocked on Kuen’s door. “All right. I know who you gave that ring to. What happened?”

“Junna was an absolute disaster, from start to finish.” Kuen stared into nothing. “We were short staffed, short supplied, and dumped out there to make it work whether we were prepared for it or not. Then Phoenix squadron struck. They took out Lieutenant Colby and most of her people, along with a significant portion of our base. We caught two of the members.”

Gaspare leaned against the bulkhead. “And?”

“One was Synon, the Colony soldier they executed as an infiltrator.” Kuen’s heart clenched. He’d wanted to get the boy home.

“And the other?” Gaspare prompted.

“Where do you think I got the ring, Gaspare?” Kuen asked.

“Starfire, Kuen. What happened to her?” Gaspare asked.

“As far as I know she died in the second explosion, when the supply ship came with the next load of commandos. She was actually the one who helped lay the explosives. She begged me to let her do it. She couldn’t let her family be put through more pain by her capture.” Kuen closed his eyes and tried not to visualize her face as she spoke of her desire to die in combat.

His control broke. Tears streamed down his face as his hand clenched around the tags. The ring cut into his hand.

Gaspare put a hand on his shoulder. “She could have survived, Kuen. They have some people they’re still sorting through.”

“She’s dead, Gaspare. She was at ground zero for the explosion. She wouldn’t have been able to survive. I expect they’ll find her once they scrape up enough of the charred genetic material to locate the few cells that still exist.” Kuen’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ve lost her.”

“If they find someone with the Rezouac genetics there they’ll post it everywhere. I’m a civilian again but I’m still my father’s son. I’ll keep my eyes and ears peeled, Kuen. I’ll tell you when I hear something,” Gaspare said.

“Why?” Kuen asked, opening his eyes. “What does it matter now?”

“Because you won’t have closure until you know for absolute certainty that she’s among the dead. A tiny part of you still clings to the hope that she’s alive, doesn’t it?” Gaspare asked.

Kuen glared through tear-filled eyes at his best friend. Yet he couldn’t deny it. She was a survivor. If she’d escaped, would she be able to live as he had – hunting, foraging, and tending to her injuries herself until a Colony ship could retrieve her?

Kuen shook his head. “She’d never have lived this long with the burns she would have gotten.”

“You don’t know that, Kuen,” Gaspare said.

“I do know. I saw the explosion, Gaspare. I watched it all happen. I let her die for nothing.”

“I think that’s what’s bothering you the most. Fiera died so her family, her people, could be free. And now with the Accords passing through the Assembly…” Gaspare’s voice trailed off.

Kuen rose and punched the bulkhead. “The Accords are nothing better than legalized slavery, a brutal way of subjugating a people who’ve already lost so much.”

“I know. The Colonies are in for an even worse time because of this rebellion, a fight only a handful of people wanted to take up in the first place.” Gaspare sighed. “This is just going to make things worse.”

Kuen leaned his forehead against the cold metal of the bulkhead. “You know, Fiera said something that made me realize how utterly stupid this war has been.”

“What did she say?”

“She pointed out that the whole war was just a quarrel between two ex-lovers – her father and my mother. She was absolutely right too.” Kuen turned to face Gaspare. “They both might claim that this has nothing to do with the other, they might even believe it themselves, but the truth is there.”

Gaspare looked at Kuen. “You’re not wrong, Kuen. I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while. I don’t think my father, or any of the other members of the High Command, have made that connection.”

“Why would they? Mother and Eire have done a very good job in making this all about Core versus Colony. There is nothing to show that it’s their personal feud.”

Gaspare sighed. “What will you do now?”

“Pursue my own business ventures and see what I can do to help the Colonies.” He touched the phoenix brooch, which he wore openly on his jacket. “It’s what she’d want.”

Gaspare nodded. “Will you visit her family?”

“One day. They deserve to hear the truth of just how brave Fiera really was up to the end.”

Gaspare nodded again. “Are you going out there right now?”

Kuen shook his head. “It’s too much of a risk. I won’t put them in jeopardy. I couldn’t keep her safe. I’ll do what I can to help them in her honor.”

“Your mother won’t like you going off on your own,” Gaspare pointed out.

Kuen turned cold eyes on his best friend. “I no longer care what that woman thinks. The compensation I’m receiving for serving in the CAF for the past two years, as well as the back payments for being held in the reserves for those seven years, is more than enough for me to live on. I have my own business ventures I can pursue. I won’t have the luxuries I once did, but those I can live without.” Kuen ran his fingers through his short-cropped hair. “Freedom is too valuable to give up.”

“I’ll help you where I can. You are, of course, welcome to use my house as yours,” Gaspare said.

“I won’t go back to Bouarus, Gaspare. I’m not going to make it that easy for mother and Lakshmi to get their hands on me.”

“I won’t be going back to Bouarus again.” Here Gaspare’s pain became obvious. “I lost a few too many friends to this war, Kuen. In fact, you’re the only person I have left that I care about – outside my family, that is. I told my father I wanted my own place away from him, my mother, and the girls. It was my turn to make my way in this universe.”

“So where did he put you?” Kuen asked.

“He just dumped a large sum of money in my account and told me it was the rest of my share of my inheritance from my grandfather. I was free to do as I pleased.” Gaspare swallowed hard. “I used some and bought a small, three bedroom house on Celaria. It’s not a very populated world, for all that it’s one of the first who signed onto the CWA, and I chose a place where the neighbors are more than half a day’s skimmer ride away.”

“That can’t have been an inexpensive purchase, Gaspare,” Kuen said.

“It took most of my inheritance. Like you I have my own business ventures, and most are already looking profitable.” Gaspare shrugged. “I’ll manage.”

“Celaria at least holds no memories for me, so I suppose having a base of operations there wouldn’t be too bad.” There would be nothing there to remind him of Fiera, and the quiet would help him heal from the war.

“I would appreciate the company, whenever both of us are actually there and not running around dealing with business,” Gaspare said.

“Very well.” Kuen rested his arm against the bulkhead and leaned his forehead against it. “Gaspare, I need some time alone right now.”

“Of course. I’m next door when you’re ready to talk again.” Gaspare let himself out of the suite.

Kuen stripped out of his clothes and took a long, hot shower. He dressed himself again, making sure the two pieces of jewelry he’d given Fiera were close at hand. He sat down in one of the chairs and closed his eyes. He pulled the stone phoenix out of his pocket and set it with the jewelry. Tears escaped to fall down his cheeks as Kuen let himself grieve at last.

The incessant chirp of his comm woke him from the light doze he’d fallen into after grief gave way to exhaustion. He saw the planetary tag and grimaced before answering. “Well, you certainly didn’t take very long to track me down, Mother.”

“You look terrible, Kuen. Be certain to have someone regrow your hair and do something about those scars before you get back to Bouarus,” Michi said. “I certainly cannot present you to prospective brides looking like that.”

“I won’t be returning to Bouarus. I have my own plans, and they don’t include playing your loyal lapdog any longer,” Kuen said. “Breed yourself another heir, Mother. I am refusing that position.”

“Are you certain you want to say that, Kuen? I will cut you off from the family fortune and all benefits of the Nakano name if you do,” Michi purred.

“I don’t need either. I have things set in motion that came about on my own merit rather than through anything granted by you. I’ll see those through rather than relying on you,” Kuen said coolly.

“I can see this war upset you, Kuen,” Michi said gently. “Perhaps some time home with me and Lakshmi will do you good.”

“No, Mother. I am not returning to the Nakano family estate, or to Bouarus. I have my own plans and they don’t include you or that sadistic piece of illegal genetic engineering you keep around as a pet. The both of you can rot for all I care.” He ended the call, ignoring his mother’s shocked spluttering.

Kuen washed his face before knocking on Gaspare’s door. Gaspare opened it. “You look a little pale, Kuen,” Gaspare said.

“I just told my mother no.”

Gaspare winced. “That couldn’t have gone well.” He let Kuen into his room.

“No, it didn’t go well at all. She’s not very accepting of the fact I’m no longer under her control. I also told her I wasn’t going back to Bouarus,” Kuen said.

“Did you tell her where you were going?” Gaspare asked.

“I’m not that much of a fool, Gaspare. She will have to find me the hard way.”

Gaspare smiled. “We’ll figure out how to keep her from killing us while we find our place in the galaxy.”

Kuen clenched her fists. “I swear I’ll kill every agent she sends to retrieve me if I have to. I have a promise to keep, and I won’t let her stop me from fulfilling it.”

Gaspare put a hand on Kuen’s shoulder. The two men stood in silent contemplation, each wondering what the future would bring – and each determined to meet it on his own terms.