Child of Hades

5. The Circle of Life (Lié)

I was greeted with a smile when I entered. It was stormy outside. My cold blood felt even colder in this weather.

"I don't have much to give you", Habakka went right into the kitchen to warm up some water for making coffee.

"You can't stay here.", I said. My voice sounded weirdly insecure, almost scared. I did not remember the last time that I had detected any real fear in my voice. I usually kept fear inside.

She went about making coffee. I walked fast to the room where I had always suspected her child. She paused. Her breath stopped for a moment and her eyes widened in a terrified expression. "STOP", she said with an unfamiliar dominance.

"I was tracked. I came here and I was tracked. I don't know when they are going to be here, but I know we don't have time to argue. I will buy you a much nicer tent on some planet with better weather. Just, please. You cannot stay here.", I heard myself speak but it did not feel real.

Habakka had grabbed my hand and was using quite a bit of force to hold me away from the door.

"You think they will spare your child?" I tried to raise my hand and push her off me. She was surprisingly strong. I wrestled with her for a while, unable to find the right words to soothe this situation.

"My people need me" Habakka finally took a few steps back and sank into the chair.

"You are no use to anybody if you are dead. Just a number for some bloodthirsty soldier to brag about in his records."

Saddened by reality her eyes were looking out of the window as if she was looking for answers in the storm.

I waited for a few minutes in anxious anticipation. Then there was a loud dull sound coming from outside the tent. Seconds later they were shooting from 3 sides, I sprinted towards the kid's room. I felt a sharp pain in my arm, but I managed to hug the boy. The last thing we saw was Habakka surrounded by Lukrain soldiers. They were all dressed in black with no distinguishable features. Their eyes carried the same expression of fear and hate. A fleshy wound on Habakka's forehead indicated that she was no longer alive.

My avatar didn't make it in one piece, but I managed to teleport the kid to my ship.

I was not entirely sure what the appropriate thing to do is, in a situation like that. So I went on to pulverize my damaged avatar. It had been damaged past the point of repair, and it does not smell nice to have damaged flesh lying around on the ship. Really kills the atmosphere.

I requested for Hubris to download some child-appropriate software and started browsing the universe for a safe place to drop off a kid.

I felt great shame for what had happened to Habakka. I am usually a very reliable business partner. I might not be a great person, and I might not have a great personal life. But I really do pride myself in my professional skills which are usually quite extraordinary.

I'm not one for plundering excessively, knowing that plundering does usually come with great risks. The nostalgia of seeing KM-13 again must have gotten the better of me.

The boy was sitting next to a wall where Hubris had started playing age-appropriate animations. He was not watching the show, I am not sure if it brought him any comfort at all. "Hubris, comfort him"

"Can you elaborate?"

"Ugh."

Hubris started throwing confetti on the boy, so I told the ship to turn off all child-related software and just shut up.

I sat down next to the boy. He smelled like someone that had been saving on soap since he was born. His face was expressionless and he did not look up once to have a glance at my face.

"Do you have a father?" I asked.

He shook his head.

I had really hoped he had a father.

"Is there any place you've ever really wanted to be?"

He shook his head.

I got up and went back to scanning the universe for child-appropriate places.

Then I heard sobbing. He was wiping off tears with both hands, but they kept falling.

"It's gonna be fine." I sat down next to him again. I carefully took his hand. He leaned in, and there it was. Snot all over my arm.

"There's a sparsely populated moon a few light-years from here. Just gotta find a good babysitter and.."

I stopped talking because his crying intensified. How old was he? 12? 14? 

I was pretty sure that being the person I am now, I would not be a great caretaker for a child.

Through the snot, teary eyes were looking at me. And there it was, a deep feeling in his eyes like he was completely lost in this world. Alone.

He reminded me of myself when I was younger. A much whinier, softer version of me.