Kadance: Another Tale

29

"Lighten! how delightful it is to see you once again." Kadance says as she finds her former liaison waiting to meet her as she comes down the ramp from her shuttle.

"Kadance, always a delight," Lighten says smiling then loses it when he spots her husbands. "Now those two, I can't say the same."

Kadance bursts out laughing. "You know them too well, Lighten. They plan on tormenting you while we're here."

Lighten takes on a martyred look. "I figured they would. I know Tommy has settled down quite a bit, but I also know that by now he's bored out of his mind." Lighten says gently escorting her to his waiting conveyance. Tommy and Jayse walking slower than they'd normally do because they actually trust Lighten. They don't trust many outside of their security team, which surprisingly hasn't changed any since Lighten left.

All the creche workers have stayed on to take on the care of Kadance's grandchildren and those of the other security members. It works out for all of them that way. 

Kadance really hates change in her personal life. She dreads seeing the change in her grand kids and grand nieces and nephews. Even Tommy and Jayse's children from before they met her consider her their kids grandmother. She doesn't want to see the pain they'll be holding now. But she's a realist, she saw what happened to Jayse and Tommy, she's seen what war has done to her nephews. It was inevitable that it would happen to her children as well.

Kadance turns her full attention to Lighten, "Oh, so you are prepared for them are you?"

Lighten gives her an honest laugh that comes from his belly, "Hell no, you don't get prepared to deal with those two. You just try to survive whatever they throw at you." Lighten stops her from walking, "I heard about Beta Company and Sigma. How are you?"

"Kellan will be at peace now. Ever since Dayla- he hasn't been the same. I think returning there will be the only thing that will allow his spirit to rest. He's never forgiven himself for his part in the death of the natives. He knew in his head, but in his heart..." Kadance has to stop before she starts crying. Over the years she had gotten to know the commander well and knew that he was still suffering. "I think only the promise of Dayla allowing him to rest there made it possible for him to keep living. I think he was doing his best to be worthy of being allowed back. He's never gotten over the loss of his friend, Jenk, Sareen's son. I think we'll lay him next to Jenk so that they both can look over the valley for eternity together."

Lighten is fighting his own tears. He'd never met Jenk, but he respects Sareen and what he's learned over the years since the natives had come here to learn. Now the last group would be leaving him and he'd no longer have the link to Dayla like he'd had.

"How many will be returning in cold sleep this time, Lighten?" Jayse and Tommy had caught up with them and heard the tail end of their conversation Tommy is holding Kadance and trying to comfort her. Jayse waits patiently for Lighten's answer.

"Only five hundred will be leaving here alive." His words make them all sad. Only five hundred will be manning the space station that they'll be docking with to let off the last of the living lost ones. The rest will be returning to Dayla in cold sleep and only awakened when they are hours out from Dayla.

With his words even Tommy has a hard time holding back the tears. Jayse surreptitiously wipes his eyes and Kadance doesn't even pretend to hide hers.

"Don't be sad. Their pain is nearly over." The dust and wind come rapidly and form into Sareen. "They will be at rest once they return home."

"I thought you said that they will never be-" Kadance says before a sob interrupts her words.

Sareen looks at Kadance with tenderness, "They will be as at peace as they can knowing that because of their choices they will never have it all. They rejected Dayla, but she is allowing them to return to die. It is enough for them to know that they won't have to be buried on foreign soil. Their families will never know their shame. But they will never be with them again either."

Sareen looks with compassion at the warriors, "I realize that asking you all to not feel the pain of my children is futile. Your hearts are too generous, too loving to not do so." Sareen smirks, "You are able to bluster and fight, but when it comes down to it, you are nothing more than teddy bears, even you Kadance."

"We know, but Command has never understood that." Tommy says but in a voice just above a whisper. 

Even Lighten nods with Tommy's words.

"When this war is over, it will be because of the efforts of Kadance. They need to see her for the hero that she is and not be afraid of her." Sareen says with a frown. 

Jayse gives Sareen a small smile, "Those that take the time to get to know her do know that. Command is usually too scared of her to take the risk. I guess they are afraid Kadance will request something outlandish like she wants us to take over the war. But if they knew her they would know that Kadance would never ask for anything like that. She does her best to heal those harmed by this war, she wants no part in causing harm."

Sareen is nodding her head, "Yes, fools look for what isn't there and miss what is in front of them." She fixes her attention on Jayse and Tommy, "Has your Command started colonizing that planet yet?"

"Kadance gave out orders as soon as we remembered the coordinates. Her company and not her competitors was the one to colonize it. She put in stringent controls and safety measures. She does for all her colonized planets but she pays careful attention to that one. The minerals we needs are found in large quantities and if done smartly the mining will have little environmental impact, at least long term. It's a bit more expensive that way, but it will make the land viable for farming far longer. That is what we wish for right now."

Sareen gives one short nod, pleased at his words. "We were right in letting you know about the planet." Sareen looks off into the distance, when she turns back to them she gives them an enigmatic smile. "If you learn the proper tools then Earth might be saved." With those words the wind and dust whip through the area and disappear. 

Tommy lets out an oath. That's more info about Earth than they've had since their many times grandfather's and grandmother's fled there millennia ago.