A Return to Form

[Thexare]

They were loathe to admit it, but Tiana and Ayumu had developed a preference for civilian life. Or at least, civilian enough. They never stayed completely idle. Freelance work on occasion to aid Bretonia with recon, tracking Corsair activity in the Cambridge system, rounding up the occasional artifact smuggler planetside when the BPA couldn't, that sort of thing.

But there was another element to it. Everyone working for them in Cambridge was doing so voluntarily, and that proved to be... comforting. After a few months to adjust, they were able to relax more, no longer having to monitor all their workers for signs of rebellion. And any competition would usualy just try to outdo them, or find some legal nonsense to bother them over, either of which was far less lethal than the competition on Malta. Perhaps that's why, when all of Don Emilio Santini's vessels had landed and moored, one Switchblade and Shamshir remained ready for immediate launch. Sure, Tiana could say it was because she wanted to be ready to launch in an emergency, but at this point would she really believe that?

Every day found her at Hangar OF2-39, the private hangar owned by her and her husband, performing routine maintenance and performance tweaks on her Switchblade.

"Normally that's only done once a month, Tiana," an older voice said from the corner. "Is something wrong with the ship?"

Tiana closed the access panel she was poking around behind and turned the box she was sitting on so she would face her father. "No, father, I just..." she began, but the words failed her.

"You are uncomfortable here on Malta. You live here, you are welcomed here... but in your heart, I suspect this is no longer your home." Tiana would have expected her father to be hurt, or at least disappointed, by coming to this conclusion, but that was not so. He seemed almost pleased by this. "I was a killer before I was a man, Tiana," he explained, pulling up a crate and sitting down across from her. "At thirteen I murdered the man who assassinated your grandfather Cecilio. And before that I killed his guards over the course of a three-week campaign. I protected you from that. I kept you out of the life until you were an adult to spare you that fate, to let you know life before you would know death." He smiled gently, a rare thing for a Don. "This was inevitable. You know life. Indeed, you know many lives - smuggler, thief, killer, guardian. Having sampled many lives, you are one who would protect. And Malta..." He sighed, the understanding paining him more than he would show. "Malta is ill-suited to the woman you have become. Our games of petty political powergrabs and self-serving ambition do not appeal to you... and never have."

Tiana closed her eyes and lowered her head. She had considered the idea, of course, but always managed to push it to the back of her mind. "What do I do?" she finally asked, her voice breaking slightly.

"Go. There are places in Sirius for someone like you. Bretonia needs all the help she can get. Natio Octavarium has re-established themselves and will need intelligent women like you. The Confederation of Freeports has just recently disbanded, and the Freeports lack organized defense. Somewhere out there, somewhere in Sirius, your true home awaits."

"But what about you?" Tiana asked, sounding almost ready to cry.

Emilio shook his head. "You don't need to worry about me. I have a beautiful wife and all the money I need. All that remains is for my youngest daughter to be happy. I can retire, or I can start business again. I haven't decided. But this is my home. This is where I belong. You have a brighter future away from the greed and turmoil that Malta breeds." Emilio stood, helped Tiana to her feet, and hugged her. "Everything will be fine, Tiana. Where you go, Ayumu will follow. And we'll stay in touch." They stepped apart, and Emilio added a question. "Speaking of Ayumu, where is he?"

"Getting replacement power cells," Tiana replied, calmer now. "Utsusemi is a very old fighter. He should probably look into a Bayonet. Or at least a modern Scimitar. But, old habits..."