Chapter 19: Father and Son
"Dad? I made coffee, if you want. Something warm might help, you know. I know you haven't eaten much today."
Avocato, sitting stiff and miserable and withdrawn at the navigator's station on the bridge, managed a small smile for his son and at how well Little Cato knew him. When Gary had finally released him, he had retreated to the darkened bridge to be alone as he tried to sift through the emotional mess of the situation he now faced. Losing the Kalibar and her crew, almost being assassinated, Scotia Majoran, Gary, a fourteen-year-old son – it was almost too much to process. And that didn't touch on rebelling against the Lord Commander, being forced to become a bounty hunter, being killed but not quite being allowed to die, losing his memory, and getting possessed by an all-powerful evil.
"You're warm," he said, trying to quash his emotions and spare his boy. He was almost successful at keeping his unhappiness out of his tone.
"Maybe I can help, then. Or just keep you company," said Little Cato, offering up the coffee.
He took the steaming mug and held it in both hands, staring into the milky depths. Gary had been right – he did like the stuff. Little Cato, rather than leaving him alone again, came and leaned against the chair. There was a long moment of increasing tension between them, and just to break the silence, Avocato quietly said, "So . . . Quinn Airgon?"
"Sizing up the competition, huh?" Little Cato grinned, and plunged onwards before his father could reply. "She was in the Infinity Guard. Actually, she may have been the only one who was Infinity Guard. Gary's got the ultimate one-way crush on her. She's super-smart and pretty and brave and that just seems to leave him completely stupid over her. Like, almost to the point of everyone feeling bad for him because she doesn't see him like that back. I mean, she likes him, but she's not wild for him like he is for her."
"And she entered . . ."
"Final Space," provided Little Cato.
"To close a rift opened by the Lord Commander in his attempt to tap the power of Final Space," Avocato carefully said, getting his facts in a row. "The rift destroyed Gary's home planet, and by closing it, Airgon sealed herself in."
"With Invictus."
"Who initially infected this universe when Gary's father went to close the same breach, is the source of the Lord Commander's power, and in your time, is possessing me." Avocato blinked at the sheer effort it took to wrap his brain around this series of events.
"Got a headache yet?"
"How could I not?"
"I guess it is a lot to deal with. I've lived it, so it's my new normal."
"Mmmm-yeah." Avocato gave his head a little shake. "Tell me about Gary."
Not fooled, Little Cato smiled, leaning on his hand. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, what sort of person would I marry without telling them I married them?"
"Gary," was the immediate and rather wry reply. "It's probably for the best him not finding out until now. Let me guess – he's startling to like the idea."
"I think so?" said Avocato, realizing the conversation and his disposition were not what he had imagined they would be. Usually when dark moods such as this took him, he'd brood for as long as it took to work the problem out. This time, Little Cato's mere presence helped to lighten and distract him. It was a very welcome change.
"Classic Gary. What about you?"
"I . . . hadn't thought to get married again. Not so long as I was in this position. It didn't seem fair. What do you think?"
"Honestly? I like it, too. Knowing each of you like I do, I think it's a good match. I never really got to see you two together except the one time on Zetakron Alpha, but you made a good team and communicated really well. From all the stories Gary told me, you two got along great."
Avocato nodded. "Apparently the older me saw something in him and I won't second guess myself. This is too important a matter to me, confusing as it is."
Little Cato looked up at his father thoughtfully. As upset and uptight as Avocato was at the moment, this was his dad. Not the general, not the bounty hunter, not the demon. This was the man who had hugged him tenderly and said, 'As excited as I am for today, I'm even more excited about tomorrow' and meant every word. This Avocato was almost never revealed, and he presented an opportunity to connect that was not to be wasted. "Is it that important?"
"Of course it is. It directly affects you. And I would never willingly marry someone I didn't – or couldn't – love, or who you didn't love as well."
"What about Mom?" ventured the teen, daring to bring up that touchiest of subjects. He knew that both of his parents were from noble Ventrexian families. They had been married for the political gain of House Purri, since House Cato was of vastly higher standing and influence and Lord Catomar's sons could afford to marry for more than wealth and politics.
Avocato smiled wistfully. "Oh, I was stupid in love with your mother from the time I was eighteen and saw her at my brother's wedding. Not as bad as Gary with Quinn. At least, I hope not. I was definitely a lot more impressed than she was. Our marriage negotiations came as a shock to us both, especially since I found out about it the day before the ceremony."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. I was recalled from convoy escort duty past the Sombra Nebula when my lord father, your grandfather, passed away. It came as a shock to me because my family hadn't told me he was ill. He wanted me to focus on my ship, not worry about him. I made it back in time for his funeral, after which Catomar, the new Lord of House Cato, informed me I was getting married the next day."
"Just like that?"
Amused at his son's surprise, Avocato smiled slightly and nodded. "I expected an arranged marriage. With House Cato's status and ties to the royal family, even as a third son I was a very valuable commodity on the marriage market. I was actually quite lucky, because I had some say in their choice for me. When my parents decided it was my turn, my brothers had remembered how smitten I was with Purrsis. Though small and not politically important, House Purri was determined to be a good ally, and I was marched off to my wedding."
As scandalized as he was delighted, Little Cato pressed, "What did Mom think?"
"She was dead set against it but had even less say in the matter than I did. It wasn't until I offered to release her from the engagement that she actually gave me any consideration. She was still a student of engineering and was afraid marrying so high up in the nobility would keep her from completing her studies. I pointed out that as my wife, not only would I be paying for all her schooling and housing and upkeep, but I was about to be redeployed for two years, so almost nothing in her routine would change. She warmed up to the idea real fast once she did the math."
"Pretty sweet deal!"
"Purrsis was a genius. She got the money, title, and degree, and got rid of me all in one shot."
Little Cato laughed. It was so rare to hear his father talk about his mother, especially with a touch of humor. He knew so little about her, having lost her when he was two, too little to remember more than a few impressions, but it was clear his father missed her terribly. It was comforting to know that while not exactly a love match, there had still been love.
"So, we spent the next two years writing back and forth and courting each other after the fact. When I finally returned from the outer rim patrol, she was genuinely happy to welcome me home, and I knew things would work out." He sighed, because for him, the loss was still so new and raw. For Little Cato it had been twelve years since he lost his mother. For Avocato, it was not quite three. "And now there's Gary."
"He's a really good guy," said Little Cato without hesitation. "He's lots of fun and pretty silly and he's brave in a lot of ways. He's smart, too, in ways you don't expect. He'd do anything for me. Or you. He cares a lot."
"It shows. I guess I'm destined to have marriage come as a shock every time."
"Could be worse. It's new for Gary, too, don't forget. But you two are already my dads."
"That's close to what he said. And I'm glad you can call him dad. From the sound of it, I've left you alone too often."
"You didn't have much choice. Actually, you really didn't have any choice, especially the last four years."
"Still. It's not right."
"You did what you could beforehand."
"How so?"
"Of all the teachers and tutors I had on Tera Con Prime, you were always the best. You taught me the coolest stuff, and in ways that didn't seem like learning. The things you gave me stuck with me the most and helped a lot."
"Like what?" asked Avocato, grateful for a topic to latch onto. He took a sip of the strong coffee, savoring the heat and the bitter taste tempered by milk, all the better because his son had made it for him.
"Well, making the most of what happens, for one thing. Don't waste time complaining, just take things as they are and work them out. There was that time I was seven. We had planned a day hiking and hunting in the Teshill Forest, but you got called to go on duty. I remember you were really ticked because we'd been planning it, like, forever, and waiting for you to get time off. I was super disappointed and about to cry. I think you were, too – disappointed, not about to cry, I mean - so instead of leaving me home, you brought me along to your ship, the Tabaat."
"The Tabaat? Seriously? I hate that scow."
Little Cato laughed. "Don't worry, you dumped it on General Ekk when the Pelion Nin Incinerator was launched. I wasn't supposed to be there, but I don't think you cared if anyone complained because you were supposed to be off. You told me I should pretend I was a spy sneaking onto the ship, so I had to be quiet and stay out of the way, but watch everyone and everything. You said my mission was to get the names of all the bridge crew."
"How'd the mission go?"
"Oh, I was so good! I knew everyone's name, rank, and station. Plus, you were able to ferret out one of the Lord Commander's spies because he wasn't supposed to be on the bridge, but I recorded him showing up three times. You put him on report and busted his cover. I had a blast, and I learned a lot."
"So did I, apparently." He drank his coffee, enjoying it more with each sip.
"Not gonna lie, I was a real pain in your butt a lot of times. Looking back, I couldn't see what you were up against or what you were dealing with. I just wanted my dad."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
"No. You did a good job. It wasn't easy for either of us." He shrugged, then moved on to more cheerful topics. "You also showed me how to shoot a moving target, and how to hit a target when I'm moving."
"Nice. What's your preferred weapon?"
"I'm used to your old Ventrex snub-nose Hairtriggers Mark IV."
"Old?"
"Relatively speaking. I think they've been updated since to the Mark V's."
"Fives? I use a Mark II now."
"You'll love the Mark III's. Just wait."
"I'll put it on the list."
"Long list?"
"Let's see." He fortified himself with some coffee. "So far I have to save some little gray louse named Clarence . . . Polkawitz, is it? Learn how to attach robotic limbs, learn how to escape Lazarus Traps, teach you my command codes and how to hack a dreadnought's command override system, teach you thimbles, and learn everything I can about Final Space, the Titans, Bolo, Inner Space, dimensional keys, and Invictus. Plus, show you how to shoot and how to be a spy."
"Long list. It'll get longer before you get back."
"So will my tail, I'm sure." Avocato softly smiled in appreciation of what his son was doing for him in this moment. "What else did I teach you?"
Little Cato hoisted himself up to sit on the arm of the chair. "Something you told me really sticks with me. It really, really helped me after the Lord Commander took me prisoner."
Avocato set the coffee aside and reached out and took his son's hand in a rare and unabashed show of affection. "What?"
Little Cato squeezed his father's hand, enjoying this singular gift of his father's presence and time and attention before he twined his fingers between Avocato's, orange against teal, and held on tightly. "You told me that in the end, things always work out. So, if they haven't worked out yet, I haven't reached the end and I need to keep going until they do." He cast his father a sad little smile. "I lived on those words. That and the stuff you taught me helped me survive three years of prison food. It wasn't easy, but . . . I knew you were free and I knew you'd find me. I had hope, and you should, too. Things will work out, Dad. We'll keep going until they do."
He finished with a smile, and though he didn't know it, Little Cato looked exactly like his mother in that moment. Overwhelmed, Avocato pulled his boy in for a tight hug, resting his head against Little Cato's and not even trying to stop his tears. He held him close and tight, taking in the smell and feel and size of him, letting himself be amazed that this was his son before he pressed a kiss atop Little Cato's head.
"You are the best, most wonderful thing I've ever accomplished," Avocato whispered. "There is nothing and no one in the universe more precious to me than you, Little Cato."
A little whine escaped the teen as he wrapped skinny arms around his father's neck and held on for all he was worth.
Because according to his father, that amounted to a hell of a lot.
