Retrace the stars

[James Justice]

Lorrd​

​

"I dunno, Kay seems to be different, different than I remember her," James sighed with a shake of his head. "Zakuul, this whole empire thing, she ain't the sister I thought I had so many years ago. Maybe I lost touch with 'er. Or maybe I never knew her to begin with."

James couldn't make it directly to the counselor's office. Instead the man's entire body and face appeared with a blue hue on a chair on the Nestis Cora's bar and lounge. The juxtoposition of his counselor form and the surrounding opulence was ironic to James, to say the least.

"I don't know about that," Chris said with a gentle reproach in his voice, "You seem to have been through a lot with her, people tend to get to know each other very well in times of crisis."

"So she changed then," James sighed defeated. He looked at his palms. "Everything changes."

"You've changed too, even just since we've known each other," Chris reminded him gently again. "You've gotten off spice. You drink more responsibly. And you're making amends. It sounds like you just don't like the changes you've heard recently. Would that be the case?"

"Aye," James agreed with a nod.

"Everything changes, but that doesn't have to be bad, what are some good changes you've seen recently?"

"I died and saw Leighlah," James answered after a long pause.

"I know her death greatly affected you," Chris nodded, "What does that mean for you?"

James paused, mulling the question over, "Means I'm ready to move on. To find love again."

*********​

​

"I'm ready to move on. To find love again."​

The answer still rang through James' head as he stepped out onto the sandy surface of the planet. Lorrd was--well, it was worse than he had remembered. 16 years ago he had stood here, on this planet and said goodbye to one form of happiness. He had that chance and let it go. He held hope in his arms, with her golden locks and beautiful eyes, only to let her go.

The spacer gave a weary sigh, stepping to the edge of the broken bridge. He could almost see his younger self fighting against the storm, throwing that tiny girl across the chasm with all he had and following after her once more. James had been a better man then at 17 then he was now at 33. The spacer drew on the Force and easily jumped the chasm. His legs groaned at the landing. He gave a grunt and shouldered on through the pain in his shins and legs.

His hand burrowed into his leather coat, gripping the golden and blue scarf she had given him. It had faded with age, but to his eyes it was just as vibrant and gorgeous as it had ever been. Before him the fortress he had rescued Seo from so many years ago still barely stood. Sandstorms, raiders, and time had not been kind to it.

"Everything changes," James muttered to himself sadly, bringing the bottle in his other hand to his lips. The sting of ale tore through his throat, giving him sweet release. The alcohol eased the regret, but only slightly. The memories were sweet, only made better with time, but they stung still like the sand had 16 years ago today.

"Happy anniversary, Seo!" he shouted at the fortress. He had intended to go inside and see it once more, but the place was too dangerous to enter now. He drained what little was left in the bottle before hurling it against one of the stone walls. "I hope ye are happier now, without me."

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

A teen boy was in the area of these ruins. He flitted from shadow to shadow and remained hidden to the best of his ability. So far the man he was following had not noticed him and for that, he was thankful. The landing of a strange ship had drawn Aodhan out and when the new figure emerged, he wanted to know why he was here. Nobody came to these ruins and it was sometimes mentioned ghosts were here. From his grandparents, mother and their friends said, he could certainly believe it.

He perked up when the man yelled and tossed an empty bottle into one of the walls. With quick and quiet steps, the boy left and returned home. His steps carried him quickly and within an hour he was there. Far faster than even he expected to make it.

"Mom, mother! Somebody is at the ruins and mentioned you. I don't know who he is!."

The door slammed shut behind him as he ran and tossed the rifle he carried into the corner where they kept their weapons. Matching gold eyes looked at her son with a question in them. Getting a description of the stranger, she nodded. Picking up the same weapon, she wrapped a scarf around her head and left her son with her parents.

A trip to the old palace was in order, even if Seo never wanted to return there. Instead of walking, she took a speeder and was soon on her way to a place that at one time filled her sleep with nightmares. Those days were in the past thankfully and she was comfortable travelling the sands of her home.

The hum of her speeder might be heard and Seo made no effort to hide her approach. Pulling up next to a ship she did not know, she turned off the speeder and approached the man that was standing there. He turned as she walked up.

"I was told somebody was here yelling my name. Who..."

Suddenly her breath was taken away from her and she fell silent. Any color she had on her face drained away and Seo suddenly started shaking slightly. Her rifle fell from her shoulder and landed on the ground at her feet. Taking a large gulp of breath, she launched herself at him. Not to punch or attack, but to hug fiercely. She had let him go once before and hadn't had any second thoughts about it at the time.

Things had quickly changed for her and Seo soon regretted that decision. Soon after they parted the reason became clear. Her mother helped her through everything and in time had gotten married herself. Her husband had adopted Seo and she had taken his name. No longer was she Seo Aris, but Seo Linn. Her son carried that name along with the family her mother had made with her husband.

"James."

It was all she said and all she had the breath for at the moment.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James stood reminiscing and brooding as he stared at the ruins where the galaxy had once given him a chance at love and happiness that once again, he threw away. This time he had no one to blame but himself. The man fumbled a cigarette from his pocket and brought it to his lips as he just watched and remembered. Those two months he knew Seo, James had spent more nights sober than drunk. His memory was crystal clear, an island of memory amid an ocean of drunken forgetfulness. The sound of an approaching speeder's whine filled his ears. They were likely bandits. Years ago he would have killed them before they even came close, but he didn't care that much anymore.

A familiar flame pricked his consciousness, flickering like a bright light amid the twilight. The haze of his self-pity was punctured by her bright light as a familiar aura came closer. James furrowed his brow, shaking his head. He had to be imagining it, the PTSD had to be messing with his head again. There was no way that bright light was near him again, especially among these approaching bandits. Who else would travel out in these desperate parts?

He flicked the used cigarette from his lips and turned to challenge these bandits. There was just one. Only one. James blinked. She matched the feeling as she came closer. His mind had played tricks on him, his eyes had too. But this felt real. He was dumbfounded as she collided with him, her arms wrapped around him and likely the strong smell of Whiskey and gin filled her nostrils.

"Ye--ye're real," he half asked, half said slowly. He didn't dare believe his eyes, not yet. They did say when you were withdrawing from spice, hallucinations was one of the side effects.

When she embraced him, James didn't hug her back, he stood there stunned numb, trying to sort reality from his own intoxicated horror. His finger went to her face, bringing Seo's to look at him. His dark eyes stared at her intensely as she looked up at him. They unspeakably challenged her very existence. He wanted her to be real. But he was scared about what this meant. His mind connected to her's, and he would feel so different from who he was before. Under the bushy beard, that carefree teen had been changed into a ragged man, battered by the galaxy's worst. Through it all there was no mistaking her, that familiar spirit.

"Ye're real," he said more confidently this time. One of his hands gently caressed her golden hair, the other wrapped around the small of her back. He embraced her tenderly. He didn't dare belief she waited for him, or that she had come to see him. Or that he had made a true impact on her life. Or that she could feel the familiar flame that he did for her. His lips curled into the familiar cock smirk, "Did ye miss me?"

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

The lack of a reaction from James did not deter Seo from continuing the embrace. It wasn't until he tipped her head up to look at him that she even remotely let go. Just a slight loosening of her arms around his torso. During their time together before, it was still unknown that she could use the Force, that had been discovered after she returned home. One thing that time had given her was a great amount of mental fortitude and when he connected to her, it was like a hot knife cutting through butter. She did not even attempt to prevent it.

If he had expected her to recoil from him or run, turn away or something else entirely, she did none of those things. Keeping the connection open, she did her own touch. What he would feel and sense was acceptance. Something else he would feel was a confidence she had lacked when they met. The innocence was gone from her and now experience marked her.

"Of course I'm real!"

A spark of emotion was in her tone and that was something very few saw or heard from her. James had seen her at the worst point in her life and helped her then. Now it was her turn to help him.

"What do you think, James?"

Laying her head against his chest, she just breathed in the man he had now become.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

It wasn't for a lack of emotion on James' part that lead to his slow acceptance of what was happening. No, James was an emotional man by nature which only made his hedonistic nature worse. The real contributor was he didn't dare trust himself. A life of spice and poor habits had ravaged his mind and aura. He regularly saw what wasn't there anymore these days. The flashbacks were slowly getting better--or some were worse. Since he died and Leighlah released him, James hadn't seen her. But the faces of the dead and their last words followed him everywhere.

The time since their last meeting could mean anything. She could have died or the small blonde he knew could have moved on. James had never learned the meaning of the term as a youth, but in his advanced years with hell screaming through his veins with every moment, he had to figure it out now. As far as things with Seo went--on James' part that book had never closed. The chapter or two they had may have been done, but for him that novel in the series of his life hadn't reached its last word.

"I--I," James licked his lips, his hand cradled the back of Seo's head that rested against his booze-scented shirt. The spacer's empathy and telepathy told him she had. But he also knew he missed her too. He had grown in his abilities, James' skill at controlling what he projected and how grew so much. He knew he wasn't projecting that feeling into her. He knew it was real. "Aye. I'd say so."

For all his growth, James was--well still James. As his left hand cradled Seo's head, his left snaked down her back to her butt. He gave it a firm squeeze. "Ah, still keepin' it tight. Nice."

His approval was reflected by the impish smirk on his lips. It slowly melted away to a more serious expression. James' humor was lost to solemnity. "I looked for ye. For a long while I tried to find ye, Spinner. Ye weren't easy to find. Not e'en when I had a chance, I couldn't find ye. Not even when I had the whole galaxy as me oyster."

She could have probably easily heard of James' life. It was rather public business in many parts of the galaxy. He was a well known womanizer, an owner of a massive shipping company, a crimelord with few equals, a party boy to make even his Zeltron kinsmen blush--and most of all, a sadistic murderer. James pechant for making his victims suffer was intensely well known and he liked it that way. Or he had, before Dal'Bor's bombing had shook the news and wrecked him to the core.

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Even though there were changes in James, who he was fundamentally remained the same. For what felt like several lifetimes, they held each other. What thoughts and feelings went through his mind, Seo didn't know. Everything that had happened to him since they parted was also pretty much unknown to her. It wasn't that she hadn't had an interest or anything, but her own life had prevented her from reaching out.

The need to help stabilize Lorrd, raise a son, learn of the Force and then the Sith coming in and taking over her home had taken away a few years. After that, she had followed the call of the Force and not once had it drawn them back together until now.

She only narrowed her eyes at him when he squeezed her butt. It might have been 16 years, but the two of them had been quite close. This was just who he was and she still accepted him after their years apart. When he turned serious and mentioned he had looked for her, the reason he couldn't find her became clear to her after only a few heartbeats.

"My mother married and I took on the name of my step-father. It's now Seo Linn. The Avis name is no longer. Speaking of my mother. Would you like to meet my family?"

There was a small hesitation in her voice right after she mentioned her mother and before she asked her question. It wouldn't take James very long to figure out Aodhan was his son. It was like looking in a mirror to a time 16 years ago. Seo did not take her invitation back and she was sure her family would welcome him. They were that kind of family.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James listened to Seo's story of how she had changed and why. He nodded periodically as she spoke. The man was glad. He had given up, he thought she had died and once again he had missed a chance at real happiness instead of the frivolous, pointless relationships he had a string of. Some had been near misses at best, but none had compared to what he and Seo were doing when he was young.

"That makes sense to me," he said with no small amount of relief in his voice. "At least ye dun't up and die on me."

He paused, thinking her question over. On one hand, he was all but sure that he would be nothing short of a disappointment to her kin. He was a drunk, a recovering spice addict, a murderer, and a criminal in most all regards. There weren't many laws of man or God that James hadn't broken either for fun or for credits. But on the other hand, he cared about Seo. He wanted her to think the world of him and the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her.

Chris' words echoed in James' head once more. Everything changes, but that doesn't have to be bad.

James' lips curved in that winning, Justice smile. He didn't have to be the hidden secret of rebellion girls with daddy issues had anymore. He had a chance at love. He was going to take it.

"Been a while since one of me lasses asked me to meet their parents,". He gave her butt a soft pat, "Guess this means something special, eh? Lead the way, Spinner."

If she would let him, James kept his arm looped around behind her lower back as they traveled. He liked the closeness but the assurance for his footing helped too since he was on the drunker side. The man was far from plastered--a life of alcoholism and two livers made sure if that. But then again.... He wasn't about to take any chances on that either.

"What ye been up to since we last met?" James asked, filling the silence with a question that'd been burning on his mind for over a decade.

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

There had been only one serious relationship in her life after James. Since she had been so young then, Seo hadn't known just what love and a relationship were. After seeing her mom and stepfather make a life and family of their own, she had the idea. Then what she had with Mereel had all but proved what a relationship could be like. Life and duty had taken them apart and now maybe she knew why.

The Force worked in mysterious ways and it had taken them apart only to bring James back into her life.

"What makes you think I would have died?"

She was a fighter, more so now than when they met. Since then, Seo had grown in more ways than just age. Their time together had started with her building up a mental fortitude that he would probably have a difficult time breaking if she wasn't so receptive of him. There was a sense of her being like steel. But she was still partially the girl he had met here 16 years ago.

He accepted her invitation to meet her family and she smiled. On the way to her speeder, he asked what she been up to. The question wasn't too much of a surprised, but the answer was going to be long. She wasn't sure what to tell him right now so she stuck with some basics. The fine details would be filled in later.

"I rejoined my mother and a government came...and went. They discovered I could use the Force and exposed me to different paths. After they left, the Sith moved in and I have wandered around the Galaxy since. My family stayed here so I come and visit when I can. You got lucky, my...duties have allowed me to come here pretty much whenever I want. We lay low to avoid the notice of the Sith and just carry on with our lives."

What had almost slipped were the words she needed to not let go of yet. When they got to her home, he would probably figure it out soon enough what they were.

Stopping to get onto the speeder, she stopped talking and motioned for him to join her.

"C'mon. There's probably food waiting for us."

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

She asked a valid question. Her death was a big leap of an assessment and there were a lot of things that went into that. James grit his teeth, she would find out eventually, he guessed now was as good a time as any.

"I got married," he answered flatly. It had been a long time since James was willing to say that to anyone. Most people never knew his wife's death or how badly it had affected him. He took a moment to appreciate the truth that his therapy was working. That was more disclosurer than James had told anyone about Leighlah in over a decade. "An' she died. After that I came to believe I couldn't find love again. There were a string of women after that," James kicked a rock, he watched it bounce across the sand, leaving ripples in its wake, "Their names dun't matter. They all left me. E'ery last one. I came to believe I'd never find love in this life. But I," he paused. "I still looked for ye. I spent a small fortune on professionals in an effort to find ye when I were richer. Nothin'. I just assumed ye died."

James nodded at Seo's brief assessment of her life. He assumed there was so much more behind the scenes but it was hard to fit 16 years in even 2 hours of conversation. She didn't ask about his past and, James was sure that was for the better.

"I dunno if I'd say I got lucky," James countered. He gave her a smirk, "I ruled an entire planet at one point. Soceras. Lotta responsibility in that. Defense, tax, trade laws, labor unions, infrastructure, diplomatic relations," his voice trailed off and his smile faded. "Ain't much need for that anymore."

They stopped at a quaint home, James stepped out of the speeder as graceful as a man in his condition could. He grabbed Seo by the hand for support and a show at romantic or emotional solidarity. Inside he was dying from nervousness. He didn't know how well he could do this. James was rather our of practice. He gave Seo a nod and a squeeze of the hand. "I'll follow ye, gorgeous."

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Sixteen years was a long time and the fact he had gotten married really did not surprise her. For a few moments her heart hurt a little, but what he said after caused her to draw in a sharp breath. Keeping silent, she allowed James to finish his story. In a way, she fit into that string of women even if they had been together before all this happened to him.

He had been destined for greater things than she had ever done. When he said he no longer ruled that planet, it was a good thing she wasn't interested in him for his money. She had fallen in love with him as a child before she really knew what love was. And thrown it away. Here a second chance might be being given and as he took a hold of her hand to walk into her home, she felt that was the case.

Returning that squeeze with one of her own, she attempted to prepare herself for the upcoming meeting. Before they got too many steps closer to the house, three girls came running out to meet them.

"These are my sisters. Eimhear, Clar and Ahlean."

Pointing at each one as she named them, she was smiling slightly. A young man looked out of the door and ran back inside hopefully before he had been noticed by either Seo or James.

"My parents and...probably food is waiting for us inside."

Keeping her hand within his, she manoeuvred them around the girls as they looked on her guest.

Inside the home looked like a place that was lived in a cared for. Taking the rifle off her back, she layed it in the corner where it was kept and introduced James to the rest of her family.

"My mother Saraid and father Daithi. The young man is Aodhan."

And your son.

After the introductions were made, there was silence as her parents, especially her mother, processed what they were seeing. Aodhan caught onto things quickly and looked like he was seeing a ghost.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James, even though he was a terrible father, loved kids. He had missed so much of all of his children's early life, maybe that was why he loved kids so much. The man had never been given a chance to hear his kids first words, see their first steps, or hold them. When the three girls came out and he was introduced to them, James got down on one of his creaking knees and gave each of them a winsome smile. One of his hands reached into a coat pocket. He pulled out a candy for each.

"Would ye like a jelly baby?" James asked extending his hand.

When that was done he rose to his feet with a groan and a wobble. His body had aged, and not too graciously with the way he had treated it. He saw and more than that felt a figure flit from the door but the spacer had been too preoccupied and his vision wasn't good enough anymore for him to catch who it had been.

James was a man prepared for anything. He lived by his wits and many times it wasn't wealth or tools that kept him from dying but his own capacity to improvise and think quickly. All the more--he felt grossly unprepared to meet Seo's parents. The closest thing he had as reference was meeting Leighlah's dad, but James was a young lad then and not a previous lover to his lady. He gave a cavalier smile to Saraid and offered a firm handshake to Daithi. "Good to meet ye both. Ye did a good job raisin' Seo right."

His eyes landed on Aodhan and James had to blink. It took him several moments to decide that the Force and his own eyes weren't playing tricks on him. There was no way of mistaking the young boy's heritage. The spacer was dumbfounded through and through as he accepted this new truth.

James swallowed.

"Well, fuc!," he said. He extended his hand to Aodhan next. This would only be the second time out of six he'd met one of his spawn who either knew their mother or who's mother was still alive and only hsu second son that James knew of. He was probably overstepping, but James didn't care too much. "Good to meet ye, son."

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

Each girl took one of the candies offered with smiles and thanks and then ran back into the house giggling. When James went to stand, Seo steadied him with firm support. In a way, she was almost thankful for his current tipsy state. A shock was waiting inside.

Her parents recovered quickly and Saraid moved over to offer a bit of moral support to Seo and to see what was happening with a closer attention to detail. Daithi shook his hand and motioned to his wife.

"She is the one you should be thanking, not me. I did not come into the picture until much later."

He turned around for a moment and took a jug of something to drink from behind him.

"You're going to need this more than I will."

Aodhan on the other hand still looked like he was seeing a ghost and was in a way was quite like Seo had been when first meeting James. Something he had picked up from her was her eyes. They were golden and looked between James and his mother.

He did not take the offered hand, but did not knock it away either. The teen looked down for a moment and back at James, meeting him in the eyes.

"I have no father but my grandfather over there. If I had known who you were when I saw you at the ruins, I would have killed you there. What need do I have for you now?"

At the age he was, there were times when his tongue didn't know when to stop his thoughts from being spoken. If James has crossed social lines, he had as well.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Seo Linn"]

James was clearly never one to say no to a drink. He accepted the jug and gave Daithi a nod and smile of thanks. The spacer looked back to Saraid, he raised the jug towards her. "Good job on raising a good woman."

He took a swig from it as a toast. They deserved every bit of recognition that they deserved for rising from slavery to a life like this. It was no easy feat, he knew too. The man has helped many others get through it on Soceras before the planet was put into shambles. The gorgeous liquor went down James throat with a satisfying burn. He looked back to Daithi, "That's good stuff. The Justice Freedom Foundation works with former slaves through their challenges in life. If ye ever need anything give us a ring. There's no time or age requirements."

Anyone wiser, smarter, or even with a modicum of dignity would have probably been appalled at Aodhan's words and anger. James had none of these things. He didn't recoil, flinch, strike Aodhan or balk at those words. Instead, he gave a hearty laugh and Aodhan a slap on the shoulder.

"Me mum and dad both abandoned me. If I'd a met either Id a given 'em the same response," the spacer took a swing from his jug. "Aye, ye my spawn, aight."

His face and tone turned serious from the joy that was there. "Unlike me Mum I ain't abandoned ye or any of me kids on purpose. When ye travel as often as I has, ye end up watering many gardens. I ain't meant to leave ye, truth be, I thought ye mum were dead and dun't know ye even existed. All in all, I'm sorry."

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo's mother nodded at the compliment and held onto her daughter's hand. Even though it was clear James was a drinker, she didn't think it was a bad thing. Everybody had their vices and this was his. Even though he spoke to Daithi, Saraid was the one that spoke up.

Lifting a sleeve up to reveal a tattoo that was similar to the one Seo carried. She lowered it once it was shown.

"You're the one that helped free Seo when she was a child. Thank you."

Her father decided to speak now too and even though there was a surprise reunion and introduction, he felt the need to interrupt the conversation.

"We have done quite well under the Sith actually. Seo may have picked a different route and life for herself, but they haven't done anything to us here. We live a quiet and peaceful life. Much better than what we had before them actually. During the time just after the slaves were freed. No, I was never a slave. Seo and Saraid have told me all about it though."

It wasn't saying no, but in a way it was. He was trying to be as diplomatic as he could in the situation. Looking at Aodhan when he spoke his mind, he just shook his head and made a motion or two with his hands.

"Are you crazy, old man?"

Looking at the hand on his shoulder now and back at the man in front of him, Aodhan shook his head, but had a bit of a smile. He liked the way he was being treated.

"My mother travels and I stay here. I'm ready to see the galaxy and get off this world. You call me your son, will you be the father you say you are?"

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James half shrugged, half nodded at the statement. It was true, but then again it had happened so long ago, he hardly felt like it was fair to consider this old man and that young man as the same person. He had changed so much, most all good hope and joy, the idealistic beliefs about humanity had been burned and beaten out of him. James had left a lot of bodies in his wake now--well, now he was doing his best to remember that young kid's memory and leave fewer bodies.

"It were a group effort," James said in honesty, ignoring the fact that he had stayed when the others left to find her. "I were part of a team, just lookin' to try an' leave the galaxy bit better than before." The spacer chuckled ruefully, "To be honest, it were more an authority issues than anythin' else, but I dun't regret it."

If they decided to take James up on it another time, well, the Justice foundation's doors would always be open, especially to them. Even during James' darkest hours, the foundation's funding had burned brighter than a sun. Dal'bor had suffered because of him, the crime lord had spent millions of his ill-gotten wealth to fund the liberation of many slaves across the galaxy--but they didn't just do that. The Justice Foundation provided food, clothing, tools, and vital education so those former slaves could build better lives. No, it was more than just an authority issue for James. It was a matter of trying to give others a chance at living a good life they had been denied.

"Son, I'm bat sh!t crazy," James said in earnest when asked if he was crazy. He took another pull from his bottle. His eyes carried a tenor of humor, but an overtone of solemnity, "Crazier than ye could ever belief."

Being a father had never been easy for James. It wasn't for a lack of desire or a lack of attempting. He had genuinely tried with Jess, Brooklyn, and Calvin. The spacer had acted like his dad had before; he liberally encouraged Jess' drinking, he bonded with Calvin over smokes and killing, he indulged Brooklyn's shopping addiction, he taught all three the trade of crime, he even flirted with [member="Rashae"] before he knew she was his daughter. None of that had worked very well, now out of the five children James knew he had, the spacer only knew the location of two--and one was standing before him. The truth of the matter was James couldn't give what he didn't have and the man never had a proper father figure in his life.

His eyes met Aodhan's. But James was also too stubborn and foolish to know when to quit. "I can try. Never been too good at it."

[member="Seo Linn"]

 

[Seo Linn]

"It might have been a group effort, but you alone brought Seo out of there. She told me everything when she returned. Did she ever thank you?"

Saraid could only hope she had, but it didn't really make a difference anymore. It was many years in the past and that situation was long over. The trials and ordeals might have marked them, but the two of them had made lives for each other and were stronger for it.

When the answer of him being crazy or not was answered, Aodhan just laughed.

"I like you already, old man."

All tenseness had left him and he gave his father a real smile. Seo let out a sigh of her own and just held onto her mother's hand. This meeting and reunion had gone far better than she expected.

"You guys hungry? There's always food to be had around here."

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James chuckled at the loaded question Sariad had asked. He didn't know whether she had unknowingly stumbled on the landmine there or if she had knowingly set James up for a litmus test of his person. And frankly, at this point, the man was too intoxicated to handle the situation delicately. He would assume the first would be the case. He took a pull from his bottle, filling his mouth with the sweet liquid. James pointed to Aodhan as he swallowed it, letting the gorgeous liquid down his throat.

"She thanked me so many times this boy came into being," his voice and eyes carried a twinkle of humor. There was some truth to it, but there was more than just gratitude that was the substance of what he and Seo had. At least in his mind. He believed they had been something special, something unique to their relationship.

He gave Seo a winsome and humored wink. He nodded at the offer for food. "Aye. I'd be lying if I said I'd had a solid meal in months. The sky be beautiful, but hoppin' from planet to planet dun't offer for a decent meal too often."

 

[Seo Linn]

The answer from James was more than enough to please her mother. It had been asked intentionally and with purpose. Aodhan looked between the two of them and stopped on his mother. His face had grown cold and his eyes burned with a touch of anger and hurt.

"Why did you lie to me about my father?"

James had never been mentioned to him before. What Seo had told him and almost everybody else was that his father was dead and by her hand. Only two people had known the truth, herself and her mother. Even Saraid had gone with the story Seo had said all along.

"Because I thought he was dead. He also assumed I was dead."

Her heart was beating rather fast and her breathing matched. She turned her head and looked up at James before turning it back to their son.

The mention of food had three little girls running in and stopping quickly. Deciding it might be best to get the food Seo had just offered, her parents motioned for them to go into the kitchen. This left Aodhan, James and Seo to either join them or finish the conversation.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

[member="Seo Linn"]

James didn't realize the can of worms he had opened. How could he? But now that he had, James couldn't have wished harder that he could retract the words and make them all vanish once more into the air. She was caught in a lie, and James didn't have to be from Lorrd to catch that she was lying. She had developed quite an immunity to mind effects, in no small part because of being around James in those formative days so long ago. The man had always been a telepath, since he was part Zeltron. Back then he had less control over his powers than the spacer did now that he was approaching middle age. He could pick up on her nervousness. If Aodhan had any of his genes, he might have too.

But James had decades of practice under his belt, decades of closing deals, seducing women, making men believe what he wanted them to, and winning his way, not just with his words, but his mind and pheremones as well. Alone with his former lover and his son, James figured that this was the closest thing to the privacy they needed to provide some long-overdue closure.

"Son, when I met ye mother, I were flying a tin can an' I could barely cover the bottom of it's fuel tank with fumes," James said. "I were so poor the first meal I gave her were leftover Holovid dinners cause that be all I had for that week to eat. Now that ain't the case," he shrugged, "Now I own one of the biggest smuggling and crime organizations in the galaxy, Justice Shipping."

He said it as casually as he would have said anything else, like his fortune didn't come from smuggling spice, guns, and toppling governments. James didn't even wait to let that bit of his status as a multi-billionaire sink in, he moved on without a second thought, "I spent a sizable fortune lookin' for ye mum. When I couldn't find her, I assumed she died." he looked from him to her, his eyes earnest "If I could take the time back and coulda found her, believe ye me, I woulda skipped the almost two decades of drinkin' and slumming to get to this point sooner."

His pheromones had shifted, to help make James' words more believable to his son. The man hadn't lied, and all in all, it was a partial truth. To help edge his words, James nudged Aodhan's mind with a soft thought, just a gentle implant to help make the idea a little more--palatable.

 

[Seo Linn]

What James said was true, but at the time his ship was a palace to her. The life she had previously as a slave had probably been a good life for one, but the freedom he had given her meant so much more.

"Just because I lied about what happened to your father doesn't mean I feel any differently for you. Nor did I mean to deprive you of one. Daithi has raised us as his own, both of us calling him father or grandfather. What we have here isn't going to change, Aodhan.

"And what he says is true. The first meal he gave me was a mash of different foods mixed together. It was my first meal as a free person and not a slave. What James accomplished in his life after we parted I was unaware of and made no effort to contact him. A mistake on my part, I will admit. Can either of you forgive me that?"

Her son wasn't stupid and could tell when his mother lied normally. He had always thought she told the truth to him about James and had trusted her. That was shattered at the moment. The touch of James on his mind brought him closer to trusting her again, but not totally.

"No, I can't, mother. Not yet."

Looking at James, he held his hand out to him.

"We have just met, yet I feel we can forge something together. Maybe in time all of us. You don't need to be sorry about anything. None of this was your fault. What should I call you? Old man, father, James?"

Whatever the answer was, Aodhan would abide by it and call James by whatever he wanted.

[member="James Justice"]