Author's Note: I'm going on vacation, but I got this chapter in just in time!
Chapter 15
Beka slowly opened her eyes as the ceiling of the medical bay came into focus. Her head throbbed and she was sore all over, but she was alive. Around her, machines softly hummed and every so often a monitor would beep. She tried to sit up, but was hit with a dizzy spell and fell back down on the pillow. That was enough to alert the other occupant of the room.
"Well good morning," Trance came to stand over her with a smile. "How are you feeling, Beka?"
"A little disoriented," she confessed, "but otherwise, I think I'm okay."
"You're very lucky to be alive after an explosion like that," the golden alien told her. "You have a mild concussion and some bruises, but aside form that nothing serious."
Beka slowly let her gaze glide around the room. "And where are my boys?" It was funny how she'd come to think of Rhade and Tristan as 'her boys.'
"They haven't left your side since you were brought in almost eighteen hours ago," Trance said, returning the smile. "Tristan wanted to stay, but Rhade insisted that he get some sleep. He left to put him to bed about fifteen minuets ago."
Trance checked some of Beka's monitors, then moved on to other injured crew members in med bay. A few minutes later, the med bay doors slid open and Telemachus entered. He looked pale, tired, and emotionally exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes, but his face instantly lit up when he saw Beka. In an instant, he was at her side.
"Good to have you back," he said, taking her hand in his.
"Hey you don't get rid of a prize like me that easy," she smiled. "Did we win?"
"We won," Telemachus returned her smile, but somehow he still looked so sad. Beka frowned and was about to ask him about it when she heard the sound of small footsteps on the med bay floor. "Looks like I have another visitor."
A second later, a pair of dark brown eyes and curly hair appeared on the edge of the med table. "Mommy?" Tristan sounded like he just woke up from a very short nap, which was exactly the case.
"Hey," Rhade lifted him into his arms so that he could also see Beka. "I thought I put you to bed."
"I wanted to see mom," Tristan rubbed his eyes in a futile effort to hide his fatigue.
"I'm right here, baby," Beka slowly sat up and took Tristan from Rhade to settle him on her lap. She kissed his forehead and brushed a stray curl out of his face. "I promised I'd come back, didn't I?"
"I know, but I was scared," the boy rested his head against her shoulder. "There were so many monsters."
"Shh," Beka soothed. "They're gone now. Why don't you go back to bed? I'll come and see you a bit later."
Tristan reluctantly agreed and trotted out of medical bay. When he was gone, Beka focused her full attention on Telemachus. "Okay, what's wrong?"
The Nietzschean bit his lip. "We won," he repeated slowly, "but not without great casualties."
"Who?" Beka's voice was lower that a whisper.
He took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Kali."
Beka winced and reflexively squeezed his hand in comfort. The woman was brave and very well-meaning. She had saved her son's life, and it hurt Beka to hear that she'd lost her own. The first officer looked up at Rhade.
"I'm sorry, Telemachus," she said. "I know it doesn't mean much, but for what it's worth I'm sorry. She saved Tristan. I'll always think well of her."
"Thank you," he nodded. "I believe it would have pleased her. Dylan is currently speaking with the Triumvirs, and when negotiations are complete, I'll take her... her body back to Tarazed. Kali will be buried with honors next to Gaheris and our other ancestors."
"That's probably best," Beka agreed quietly.
"I think it is," he nodded. "I'd like to make sure Tristan's really asleep this time, then if you don't mind some company, I'd like to stay with you."
"Sure," she was touched by his concern. "Go see how he is."
---
The lights were dim in Rhade's quarters when he arrived. Telemachus peeked into the room, then, not sensing anything out of place, was about to leave when Tristan called to him sitting up in bed. The adult Nietzschean's lips curved slightly; somehow he had suspected the boy would still be awake. Telemachus turned on a dim light and crossing the room, sat down on the edge of Tristan's bed.
"I see you insist on being stubborn," he said kindly.
"No," Tristan replied. "I was just wondering about that lady, your cousin. Something happened to her, didn't it? Something bad."
Not for the first time, Telemachus was amazed by the child's perceptiveness. "Yes," he didn't try to hide the truth. "She's gone, Tristan. She died."
Tristan turned the thought over in his mind. "It's not fair," he finally said. "She was so nice to me, and you were very proud of her. Why did she have to die while other people -bad people- get to live?"
Telemachus gave a short humorless laugh. "Unfortunately neither life nor death are fair. There's an old human saying that God kills indiscriminately. But you're right: Kali was a good woman, and I was very proud of her. What is important now is not that she died, but how we remember her."
Tristan seemed to understand that, then another thought crossed his mind. For a moment he glanced up at Rhade before his gaze fell back on his lap. "I never knew my father," he whispered, "I wonder if he'd be proud of me, but I... I don't think he was a good person."
"Well I can't judge your father," it was only partially true, but Rhade would never admit to Tristan how little he thought of his genetic donor, "but I can tell you that any man would be proud to have a son like you."
He placed his hands on the boys shoulders and made him look him in the eyes. "And if you allow it, as you think of Beka as your mother, I would be honored if you would think of me as your father."
Tristan's eyes moistened. "I have for a while now," he confessed.
"I'm glad," Telemachus hugged him warmly. "Now get some rest. I'm going to go see your mother."
Chapter 15
Beka slowly opened her eyes as the ceiling of the medical bay came into focus. Her head throbbed and she was sore all over, but she was alive. Around her, machines softly hummed and every so often a monitor would beep. She tried to sit up, but was hit with a dizzy spell and fell back down on the pillow. That was enough to alert the other occupant of the room.
"Well good morning," Trance came to stand over her with a smile. "How are you feeling, Beka?"
"A little disoriented," she confessed, "but otherwise, I think I'm okay."
"You're very lucky to be alive after an explosion like that," the golden alien told her. "You have a mild concussion and some bruises, but aside form that nothing serious."
Beka slowly let her gaze glide around the room. "And where are my boys?" It was funny how she'd come to think of Rhade and Tristan as 'her boys.'
"They haven't left your side since you were brought in almost eighteen hours ago," Trance said, returning the smile. "Tristan wanted to stay, but Rhade insisted that he get some sleep. He left to put him to bed about fifteen minuets ago."
Trance checked some of Beka's monitors, then moved on to other injured crew members in med bay. A few minutes later, the med bay doors slid open and Telemachus entered. He looked pale, tired, and emotionally exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes, but his face instantly lit up when he saw Beka. In an instant, he was at her side.
"Good to have you back," he said, taking her hand in his.
"Hey you don't get rid of a prize like me that easy," she smiled. "Did we win?"
"We won," Telemachus returned her smile, but somehow he still looked so sad. Beka frowned and was about to ask him about it when she heard the sound of small footsteps on the med bay floor. "Looks like I have another visitor."
A second later, a pair of dark brown eyes and curly hair appeared on the edge of the med table. "Mommy?" Tristan sounded like he just woke up from a very short nap, which was exactly the case.
"Hey," Rhade lifted him into his arms so that he could also see Beka. "I thought I put you to bed."
"I wanted to see mom," Tristan rubbed his eyes in a futile effort to hide his fatigue.
"I'm right here, baby," Beka slowly sat up and took Tristan from Rhade to settle him on her lap. She kissed his forehead and brushed a stray curl out of his face. "I promised I'd come back, didn't I?"
"I know, but I was scared," the boy rested his head against her shoulder. "There were so many monsters."
"Shh," Beka soothed. "They're gone now. Why don't you go back to bed? I'll come and see you a bit later."
Tristan reluctantly agreed and trotted out of medical bay. When he was gone, Beka focused her full attention on Telemachus. "Okay, what's wrong?"
The Nietzschean bit his lip. "We won," he repeated slowly, "but not without great casualties."
"Who?" Beka's voice was lower that a whisper.
He took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Kali."
Beka winced and reflexively squeezed his hand in comfort. The woman was brave and very well-meaning. She had saved her son's life, and it hurt Beka to hear that she'd lost her own. The first officer looked up at Rhade.
"I'm sorry, Telemachus," she said. "I know it doesn't mean much, but for what it's worth I'm sorry. She saved Tristan. I'll always think well of her."
"Thank you," he nodded. "I believe it would have pleased her. Dylan is currently speaking with the Triumvirs, and when negotiations are complete, I'll take her... her body back to Tarazed. Kali will be buried with honors next to Gaheris and our other ancestors."
"That's probably best," Beka agreed quietly.
"I think it is," he nodded. "I'd like to make sure Tristan's really asleep this time, then if you don't mind some company, I'd like to stay with you."
"Sure," she was touched by his concern. "Go see how he is."
---
The lights were dim in Rhade's quarters when he arrived. Telemachus peeked into the room, then, not sensing anything out of place, was about to leave when Tristan called to him sitting up in bed. The adult Nietzschean's lips curved slightly; somehow he had suspected the boy would still be awake. Telemachus turned on a dim light and crossing the room, sat down on the edge of Tristan's bed.
"I see you insist on being stubborn," he said kindly.
"No," Tristan replied. "I was just wondering about that lady, your cousin. Something happened to her, didn't it? Something bad."
Not for the first time, Telemachus was amazed by the child's perceptiveness. "Yes," he didn't try to hide the truth. "She's gone, Tristan. She died."
Tristan turned the thought over in his mind. "It's not fair," he finally said. "She was so nice to me, and you were very proud of her. Why did she have to die while other people -bad people- get to live?"
Telemachus gave a short humorless laugh. "Unfortunately neither life nor death are fair. There's an old human saying that God kills indiscriminately. But you're right: Kali was a good woman, and I was very proud of her. What is important now is not that she died, but how we remember her."
Tristan seemed to understand that, then another thought crossed his mind. For a moment he glanced up at Rhade before his gaze fell back on his lap. "I never knew my father," he whispered, "I wonder if he'd be proud of me, but I... I don't think he was a good person."
"Well I can't judge your father," it was only partially true, but Rhade would never admit to Tristan how little he thought of his genetic donor, "but I can tell you that any man would be proud to have a son like you."
He placed his hands on the boys shoulders and made him look him in the eyes. "And if you allow it, as you think of Beka as your mother, I would be honored if you would think of me as your father."
Tristan's eyes moistened. "I have for a while now," he confessed.
"I'm glad," Telemachus hugged him warmly. "Now get some rest. I'm going to go see your mother."