His maman smiled and pulled him in close for a tight hug. “Bane, my son.”
He leaned up and kissed the side of her face. It wasn’t often he was on the shorter end of things, but his maman as a true Ceraton female was a half a foot taller.
She smelled of berries and dolar cream. Her favorite snack. She eased away from the embrace, her black eyes holding their familiar glow of love and appreciation.
“Look at you.” She squeezed his arms before letting go. “My strong son. Walking again.”
Everything had been in such a rush, it almost seemed like his time at CV-8 was long ago. Her words reminded him he’d only been back on his feet for a short time.
“It is good to see you, Maman.”
She led him to the set of soft chairs in her main room and he spotted the berries, cheese and dolar cream in containers on the table between the grouped furniture. Smiling, he sat across from her and tossed a piece of cheese in his mouth.
“Tell me how you are.”
He chewed and swallowed. “I’m fine.”
“I was so worried.” Her brows pinched together, her lips quivering before she firmed her mouth and forced another smile. This one didn’t reach her dazzling black eyes, a match to his own. “You are very much like your papan. As much as it pains and scares me, I am also very proud of you and the work you do.”
A subtle tension eased away from his shoulders. She wasn’t going to argue with him about remaining a Jutak warrior. “Thank you, Maman.”
Shaking off the somber mood, her lips twitched and she dipped a large yellow berry in the dolar crème. “There is a female?”
“What?” Bane almost choked on the berries he’d eaten.
“I have commed you daily and no reply. Today you come to my door and there is...sadness on your face. You did not have this look when your papan died, nor after your injury. You almost died, Bane! But your expression stayed determined. Confident in who you are. And now...sadness. That is usually caused by matters of the heart.”
Pushing away the plate, Bane leaned back in the seat and stretched his legs out. As a child, there was never a day his maman didn’t know his every thought or action before he did. Attempting to lie or hide from her was a waste. “There was a woman. Not anymore.”
Mischka would be found guilty of her crimes and sent to a prison colony. Bane was never going to see her again. And when he thought too long about it, he wanted to roar out his pain.
“Tell me of the one who has your eye.” It wasn’t a request.
Bane smiled.
“I have all day.”
Proving she meant her words, she began to spin silk. It didn’t take long to recognize the ball she was creating. Bane laughed out loud. “You told me not to make those anymore.”
“A maman is allowed.” She reached across and placed the ball in his hand while she continued to spill the silk from her glands.
His fingers picked up the rhythm as she spun while he talked. When he finished telling her everything, she signaled she was done with the weave. He tossed the ball, over two feet tall, to the floor where it rolled into a corner.
“You love her and she did not live up to your expectations,” his maman concluded.
Love? Everyone kept saying it. “I didn’t have time to decide if I loved her. When the truth came out...it was ugly.”
He couldn’t tell his maman too many confidential details but he’d revealed enough for her to get the gist.
She sighed and shook her head. “Marenian?”
He nodded.
“They are not a kind people but then if we were to judge solely on that, you would not have the accord you have with your Unit Leader. Torkel, though Marenian, is not like them.” She tipped her head to the side, studying Bane then continued. “Will you ask her the questions you have? The why of her actions?”
“I did. She didn’t deny any of it. Confirmed what Jaron had discovered and agreed I was part of a greater plot instigated at the behest of a known criminal.”
“Perhaps this too was a lie? Maybe she knows there is no recourse for her and decided to protect you by going to her consequences quietly.”
Bane straightened. He hadn’t considered that. If there was one thing Mischka excelled at, it was lying. Why would he believe what she said under duress more than he believed what she’d said before? When she’d left him that morning there’d been something she wanted to tell him. He strained to recall what she’d said exactly.
“I loved your papan. Loved him enough to leave my home and embark on an adventure of love. Though the journey was cut short, I didn’t regret any of the highs or the lows of it. That is what love does.” His maman made a fist with her hand. “It grabs a hold of you and whether its good or bad, those emotions in the beginning are strong. Powerful. And when it’s right, its...its indescribable to those who’ve never experienced it.”
The smile and look in her eyes tugged at Bane because he knew it was only a fraction of the smile and look she used to have when his papan walked into a room where she was.
“Don’t ignore your chance at a love like that, Bane.”
He dropped to his knees at her feet and grasped her hand lightly, unfolding her fist to entwine their fingers. “Thank you, Maman.”
He laid his head in her lap and she stroked her other hand through his hair as she’d done when he was young and troubled. Bane closed his eyes and questioned his every interaction with Mischka. Could he do it? Could he get beyond what Mischka had done and let himself trust her again?
What if his maman was right and there was a greater reason to Mischka’s words in the detainment cell? Had she been protecting him? And more importantly what had she been about to say to him that day he was due to leave CV-8?
Perhaps the truth.
Chapter 26
“Confirmation from Kyele has them landing shortly at the space port.” Torkel pointed to Rydak, Bane, Uri and Khane. “I want you there in case V’hor’s needs help. As his direct teammates, you all know him best. Dr. Maku will be there on standby for a medical assist. We don’t know about the wounds he suffered and if they were treated.”
Bane rolled his shoulders and tried to ignore the ache in his chest. He’d die for every single member under Torkel, including his Unit Leader himself, but he’d always felt an affinity for Vee. He’d recognized Vee’s struggle for control over his Serpine nature when he first joined the team.
It was probably the reason Rydak had pulled Bane aside not long after becoming the Leader of Team Three and asked him to keep an eye on the younger Jutak warrior if anything happened to him. The same promise Rydak admitted their former Team Leader Jahul had once asked of Rydak years ago.
“I’ve also requested Geile and Gregir’s presence because I don’t trust the Marenians during the exchange for Nikol,” Torkel continued.
A good choice. The brothers would provide excellent backup and outside Rydak being the best shot of any member in their Unit, Gregir was a sharpshooter with a master rating.
Torkel paused at the front of the room. “Riot gear today. We don’t know how any of this will go down. Too many players involved.”
After a few more talking points, Torkel dismissed them. In his rooms, Bane showered and went to his closet to pull out the fitted red shirt and matching pants. It wasn’t often they were called on to wear the distinctive colored uniform. As he armed himself, Bane kept trying to think of a way to keep Mischka on Enotia. He wasn’t sure if there was anything he could say or do that would get the governing council to turn a blind eye toward her criminal actions.