Endo sat in the corner of the dining room with his knees pulled to his chest like a lost child. The analogy wasn't too far from the truth either; he felt fully and well lost. If his father did not kill him on sight, he would count himself blessed. The burning rage in his father's normally warm and gentle eyes was flash-burned on the surface of his mind. If he lived a thousand years, he would never expunge the image.

The medics leaned over his father while Anora watched with silent tears. The medics coaxed Oro's arms back into their sockets while he was still unconscious and closed the wound on his head before reviving him. They gave him medication for the concussion and quickly packed up and left. Endo buried his face in his arms and tried to be as small as possible, hoping Oro would not see him.

He had no such luck.

"Endo! Get out of that corner you coward, and stand up like a man!"

Endo swallowed a sob and stood. Anora's face showed anger and disappointment as well, but nothing burned him like the fire still in his father's gaze. He walked over to his father like a condemned man and stood before him with his eyes downcast. He started to bow when a hand clamped on the back of his neck and forced his forehead to the table, holding him there. He did not resist the force.

"I want to break your neck, Endo. I want to break your neck, the Winds damn you!"

Oro's voice cracked at the end and Endo soon felt something warm and wet hit the skin between the plates on his skull.

"I have never in my life wished to harm one of my children, not even Ohte after all of his crimes! I could kill you now, Endo, would I not regret it later! Why, Endo? Why?"

Oro suddenly loosed Endo and backed away from him as though he were something poisonous. Endo collapsed onto the floor, kneeling at Oro's feet. Oro continued to step backwards, retreating from his son.

"Leave me, Endo. Take your wife and leave this house before I do something I will regret to the end of my days."

Endo hesitated and began to rise slowly, meeting his father's gaze through upturned eyes blurred by tears.

"Please, father, I didn't mean to let this happen, I didn't—"

"Go! Endo, get out of my sight!"

Anora rushed over and pulled her husband to his feet, half-dragging him to the door. Endo broke into a full run as he heard his father's monstrous howl of grief and rage shaking the walls behind him, rushing out of the house while his wife struggled to keep up with his frantic pace. He did not slow down until he reached the family's ships, darting into a small transport. He collapsed to the floor and clamped his eyes shut until he heard Anora step into the vessel behind him and close the doors. Her footsteps stopped right in front of him but she did not touch him.

"You've really done it this time, Endo. You just had to get rid of that boy, didn't you? He brought the life back into your aging father's eyes, and you go sell him out! Well, I hope you're satisfied. If Oro ever forgives you, it will be nothing less than a miracle. Were I him, I'd have you stripped of your inheritance!"

Anora went over to the controls of the ship and engaged the engines, carefully piloting it away from Erana Prime.

"I think we'd best avoid your family for the time being. Your youngest brother and sisters will hear of it soon enough, no doubt."

She set the coordinates for another Eranae colony in a neighboring star system where her sister lived.

"I think we'll go stay with Rema for a while. I haven't seen my niece since the year before last, she must be close to finishing her basic schooling by now."

The trip was entirely too short for Endo's taste; they arrived at the colony in only fifteen minutes of subspace travel. He followed Anora to his sister-in-law's home like a zombie, staring at the back of his wife's head the whole way and constantly tripping over his own feet. Rema's greeting to Anora floated through his head like mist. He barely heard anything.

"Anora! What a surprise to see you, we did not receive word that you were coming."

"I'm sorry for the imposition, Rema, but there's been a bit of trouble and we need to stay with you for a while."

"Trouble? Well, certainly, do come in, tell me what is wrong."

Anora grabbed Endo's arm and dragged him through the door. She unloaded him into a chair in the corner like a piece of luggage and followed her sister into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, sister?"

"Endo's thick head, Rema, that's what's wrong! He's gone off and done something very stupid this time. His father may never forgive him."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Anora sighed deeply.

"Just let us stay for a while. It might be some time before Endo can approach Oro again without risking his neck."

"Well, of course. You can stay in the guest bedroom as always. Ani will be glad to see you, I'm sure. She's graduating in a month, you know, then off to university somewhere. Children do grow up so quickly. It's a shame you never had any."

"Yes, I suppose, but you know Endo. He doesn't have the patience to properly raise children. And after this recent episode, I'm doubting he has the required brains as well. I'm too old for that sort of thing now anyway."

Endo leaned his head back against the chair and ignored the hot tears slipping down to his neck. His life had become a nightmare overnight. Why had this happened? Why did that half blood just show up on his doorstep and destroy his world in the space of little over a fortnight? Damn that Hunter who brought him, damn—the Hunter!

Endo's eyes snapped open and he sat up. The Hunter! She started this mess, why shouldn't she be the one to clean it up? Tess, her name was. He was familiar with the name. She was quite well known among the Hunters, one of the few who made use of the formidable but expensive Ayana armor and considered to be quite skilled as a tracker. He didn't know how to contact her directly, but he knew enough less than legitimate business men to find out quickly. Endo stood up and bolted into the kitchen where his wife and her sister were catching up.

"Rema, may I borrow your communications center?"

"Well, certainly—What do you need it for?"

Anora eyed her husband skeptically.

"What are you plotting, Endo? You'd better not dig your grave any deeper, or you might not be able to crawl out."

Endo rolled his eyes at his wife.

"Nothing of the sort, love. I may in fact have a viable solution to our current situation."

Anora did not seem convinced, but Endo was too excited in his newfound hope to care. He dashed up the stairs to the communications console in the study and punched in the codes for an old associate.

"Endo! What the devil are you calling about?"

"I'm calling in that favor, Anden. I need you to contact a Hunter for me. One by the name of Tess."

Anden rubbed at his jaw and considered the request.

"Well, that shouldn't be too difficult. I know a guy who knows a guy who has the codes needed for contacting her ship directly. They won't come cheap though."

"I don't care, Anden. Name your price."

---

Tess's ship was seated in orbit around a lifeless moon while she slept in the cockpit. She'd drank too much earlier and was in no condition to go hunting and was determined to sleep it off. The beeping of her communications console jarred her awake and she groaned at the pain in her head. She squinted at the blinking light and rubbed at her eyes until the fuzz receded and punched the button. An Eranae she did not recognize was on the other end.

"Uh, hello. Who the hell gave you my codes? Please tell me so I can go kill him."

"Are you Tess?"

"What? Yes, of course, who the hell were you expecting?"

The Eranae shook his head impatiently and ignored Tess's sarcasm.

"I am Endo Ohtamacil, son of Oro Ohtamacil… Uncle of Erik Ohtamacil, with whom I believe you are acquainted."

Tess blinked at the formal introduction.

"Yea… So what of it?"

"I… We need your help."

Tess sniffed and waited. Endo hesitated.

"Well spit it out, Endo Ohtamacil, relative of nearly everyone. I don't have all damn day and my head hurts."

Endo gulped and Tess rolled her eyes.

"Erik… has been kidnapped by the Hari Anuma. My father is completely distraught. I'm afraid he might do something... drastic, if Erik is not retrieved quickly. Name your price, I'll pay anything."

Tess's heart dropped to the general vicinity of her knees.

"Erik was kidnapped… by the Hari Anuma. Erik was kidnapped. By the Hari-flipping-Anuma! How in hell did that happen?"

Endo did not answer her question.

"Please help us, I implore you. He possesses a gift known as the Voice of the Winds. It could be very dangerous if put the uses the Hari Anuma are likely to, and Erik will no doubt suffer greatly under their hands."

"Well of course I'll help, you moron! I'll do it for free! Do you know where they've taken him?"

Endo glanced over his shoulder, though Tess could not tell at what.

"I don't know. They have bases all over the galaxy."

"Shit… Don't worry, I'll track him down. Give me an hour to stock up a few things, then I'll meet you… wherever you. Where are you, by the way?"

"The Eranae colony in the Chal system."

"Fine, send me the coordinates."

Tess waited for the information to download and then closed the communications channel.

Erik was in trouble. Her foundling had gone and gotten himself kidnapped by some of the worst bastards in the known universe.

She could find him, but she might be killed in the process. Could she live with herself if she didn't even try?

And since when did she give a rip about anyone else? Tess had been on her own for years now. She didn't care about anything. She couldn't care about anything.

Yet the thought of Erik bound somewhere and under the power of the Hari Anuma made her want to rip her own heart out. She'd find him if it killed her.