Kadance: Another Tale

31

Kadance watches helplessly as her son wakes up screaming. The war is brutal to all the companies, but is especially to Sigma. She fears that her son will be requesting the final grace soon. She won't be able to refuse him, he's unable to sleep, every time he does he wakes screaming within minutes. She can see the lost look in his eyes, the very same one that Rory had, had thirty years earlier.

The loss of her children had been minimal, but still, she has lost more than one child. There had been far fewer losses in Sigma than any other Company although they are always involved in the hottest fighting.

All her children that are active have scars, even the females, although not all of their wounds are physical. Kadance has never felt her age weigh so heavily as it does now. 

All her children are now graduated and fighting with Sigma. All of her security team have also had more children and although Sigma remains smaller than other Company's it's had fewer relative deaths or redlinings than other companies. 

There is a great deal of competition to get into Sigma, but few outside of their families are accepted.

Kadance sighs and wipes her tears away, sometimes she wishes that she wasn't still around. 

Jade and Jax are only still fighting since they refuse to consider quitting before the war was finished. They hold the flint knives as often as they can. All of Sigma does.

"Rest, Kadance, I will take care of him," Sareen says gently once more blowing into an impossible room to reach the one that needs her most.

With that Kadance breaks down. That's how Jayse finds her shortly after. He pulls her into his arms, "Thank you, Sareen. Kadance, indeed all of us have been worried. Kellan isn't doing well and we are afraid that he will request-" Jayse has to stop. Kellan is his son. One of a set from Kadance's last pregnancy. His twin sister is a fighter pilot in Sigma and it was her that managed to save him from being killed by shifters. 

But the nightmares don't come from his near death. All of Sigma has plenty of near death stories. One member of Sigma has more near death stories than any five members of any other company. With the possible exception of Beta and Alpha companies. Then it would take two Sigma to be more than them.

"I will be visiting all your children and grandchildren before I return to Dayla." Sareen says softly. She hurts for the sorrow that she feels coming from those protecting them all. Dayla feels their pain. She can not tolerate another having that pain when she can help, so she sent Sareen.

"Thank you, Sareen and please thank Dayla for us." Jayse tells her as he tries to calm Kadance even more.

Sareen gives them a sad smile before turning to the young man thrashing wildly on the bed. "She knows." She lays her dust formed hand on the agitated young man.

"Be at peace now, be calm, they are with those that love them now and are better than they'd be if you hadn't done as you did." With her words the warrior calms down and falls into a deep sleep.

"He will sleep for some time. He needs time away from the war. Most of Sigma do, it is time for them to rest as well. Take them back to the planet you call home, Gaia, I believe you call her." Sareen has an amused look on her face.

"Was Gaia also sentient?" Tommy asks coming into the room and going quietly up to Kadance. Jayse and Kadance used to this behavior don't react to his sudden words or appearance, but Sareen gives a small jump.

She holds her dust hand to her chest, "You are a rogue aren't you Thompson? No, Gaia wasn't sentient so there was no name before your people came."  Then her face takes on a look of sorrow, "But that wasn't true of some of the planets your people colonized, some of the dead ones, they were killed in the wars between your people."

All three of the conscious warriors look stricken at those words. "We didn't know."

Sareen snorts and hides her feelings once more, "Of course you didn't. They didn't have children to act as their spokesman. They wouldn't have listened any way. The only reason you have now is because your people are tired of the war and want it to end.

"There are few worlds left of the menace, soon the location of Earth will be revealed. It will be your children that will need to be the ones to check on her if you decide to go there. Your family has earned that right above all other warriors." Sareen looks down at Kellan, "He has done his namesake honor." Sareen looks at the others, "Indeed all your family has brought honor to your people.

"The war is near to ending, only a handful of planets to go. Soon you will be receiving the lost location," Sareen is now looking at Tommy and full out smirking at him. "I wonder which of you will find it first?" With her mocking laugh filling the room the wind whips her form out of the room and over to the others that need her help.

"Shit!" Tommy says and races out of the room seconds later as he figures that the knowledge isn't impossible to be found without Sareen's help.

"What the hell just happened?" Kadance asks still a bit confused.

Jayse still not entirely sure replies, "I think Sareen expects us to find out for ourselves and not be told outright. That means of course, that we have the information and that it's just buried somewhere."

Kadance smirks before laughing. "Let's make this a sporting chance, shall we? Let's let the others in on this piece of information and see if Tommy can beat them all."

Jayse nods and keys open the links that will connect him to all other intel gatherers in Sigma and Baron. He's sure that she'd like that information as well, but with Tanker being ill she might not take up the challenge. The thought of how sick Tanker is makes him sad, for so long he'd been a pillar of strength for Jayse that losing him will be hard.

Kadance after several decades is more or less able to follow Jayse's thoughts, "Perhaps Sareen can help Tanker as well?"

Jayse shakes his head, "No, Tanker is getting old and I think he's ready to die. Although he's likely to wait until this war is over. I'm worried about Baron though, when Tanker is gone she'll be alone on Luna Two."

Kadance smiles and holds back her chuckle, "No, if the war ends her children will go and visit her and she'll likely go to Earth with the others is she's allowed to."

Kadance is a bit jealous of Baron. Not because of her relationship with Tanker, no, but because she was born into the warrior class and so shows little in the way of aging. Kadance herself has aged and is well past middle age and heading to old age when Jayse and Tommy are still young looking. She dreads the time when she looks like an old woman and they still remain young looking.

"Will you and Tommy be leaving to go to Earth as well?" Jayse has avoided this question and dreaded it, so has Tommy.

"We won't be leaving you Kadance."

"But you and Tommy both-" Kadance stops as Jayse takes her mouth in his and kisses her hotly to stop her words.

"More than thirty years ago you accepted myself and Tommy as your life mates. We are bonded until death, Kadance. WE WILL NOT leave you here. Nor will we take lovers."

"I know you won't, but you long to go to Earth."

"It is nothing compared to how I long to be in your arms, love. I know that Tommy feels the same. The idea of being the first knowing something draws him, but your arms draw him even more." Even more now than before the two males are able to be with Kadance at the same time. More times than not it's sleeping rather than sexual, but they are far more calm especially since they held the knives Kellan presented to them years ago.

"I love you." Kadance says and just lets Jayse's warmth enfold her as her son sleeps peacefully for the first time since his last mission.