Grief is the final fulfillment of love.

- Writings of the Sol Empress, Words of Faith

[Moon]

The grief came like storm waves, lashing the shores of his heart, one after another. Moon knew the feelings, first in youth after his parents went missing, and then with Celeste. Realizing Faith would die young, he had tried to ready himself for this, building protective walls of graceful acceptance around his heart. But nothing could prepare him for the death of a daughter. The walls fell quickly against the wave's unrelenting fury.

Part of him wanted to run far away, anywhere to escape the pain. But his other children would need him as much as he needed them. Hope and Gabriel embraced each other, his surviving daughter nearly collapsing with wrenching sobs. Tears streamed from Gabriel's eyes, cascading to the floor. It had been almost fifteen years since Moon had witnessed his son crying.

As gently as possible, Moon laid the lifeless body of his oldest daughter on the med bay table. He pulled a white blanket over her but stopped at her head. A single sob burst out, shaking him.

Bending down, he kissed her forehead, whispering, "Be at peace, my daughter. We love you. Always" After a moment and a deep breath, the blanket covered her completely.

Sai spoke through the overhead speaker. "Sir, I am not reading any life signs in Faith."

"She is gone, Sai." It felt like someone else spoke those words.

After an extended pause, Sai replied, "I see, sir."

Moon crushed his two remaining children to his chest, wrapping them in a tight hug, and tears fell like rain.

No words were spoken.

Finally, Moon lifted his head. "Sai, take us away from here."

"Destination, sir?"

"The other side of the sun. Thrusters only."

Sai said, "Sir, we are being hailed by the port authority."

"Ignore them." Moon replied.

"Yes, sir."

Moon sensed the low roar crescendo of the thrusters and a lifting sensation as the Firebird Rise took off, rising into the clouds. Then he felt a separate twinge of grief, that they may never see their home again.

For a day, they barely talked, since to speak of Faith's death was to acknowledge it. Mostly, Moon felt numb. But sometimes a wave of emotion would well up, breaking him down in a flood of salty tears.

Morose, Gabriel disappeared, choosing to grieve alone. Several times Moon stopped at his son's bedroom door, but then walked away. What could he say?

As Moon sat in the galley, his head bowed down and his hands surrounding a full mug of tea that had gone cold, he turned to find Hope trembling at the threshold, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Dad..." Her voice came out broken, like their hearts. "I'm sorry. I..." Gasping sobs thrust into her hands stole any further words and tangled dark hair shrouded her downturned face.

Moon rose and encased his daughter in his arms. She bawled, heaving raw cries that came from an open heart wound. He pressed her head into his shoulder and whispered, "It was never your fault, Hope. You did everything you could."

"There must have been something that--"

"No. You risked your life for your sister. You were beyond brave." Moon shuddered at the thought that he might have lost both daughters.

Moon beckoned Hope to sit down, and he lifted Faith's worn khaki backpack onto the table. "Faith had asked me to give you these things when--" He still could not say the words.

Opening the pack, Moon extracted a book with a soft brown cover. Tentatively, Hope opened it to the first page. There, handwritten on the first page, was 'Words of Faith'.

Hope stared at the page, then closed the book. "I can't right now."

Moon nodded. He understood. To read Faith's personal journal would be to accept her death, something that would take time. He reached into the pack again, pulling out a long scarf, as blue as the sky.

He explained. "Your mother left this behind on the day she died. It was originally a gift to her from Empress Iona."

Hope grasped the scarf, stroking its softness. "Something Faith said, Dad, when..." Hope's breath hitched after a sob. "She said I was the Empress now. What does that mean?" Her brow lowered and her voice took a cutting edge. "What does all of this mean?"

"Faith wanted to be the one who told you." He turned his head up. "Com." A faint beep sounded, opening the ship's internal communication system. "Gabriel? Join us in the galley."

Learning that they were the genetic offspring of Empress Iona left both Hope and Gabriel stunned. But how could it not, Moon thought. Hope stomped out of the galley with tears tracing an angry face, not saying a word.

Gabriel seemed more resigned to a dangerous destiny, but the weight on him was not as great as on his sister. He turned his head up. "What happens now?"

"I would like to have a funeral for Faith. Traditionally for a Sol Empress, she is sent into Earth's sun, Sol to Sol. If it is good with you and Hope, we will do the same for Faith, but to the sun of her home world." Moon took a deep breath, trying to still his emotions. "Then we need to go to a safe place and make plans for the future. I know some people that will help us."

*****

"Launch, Sai." Moon choked on his words. The command added another layer of finality to his oldest daughter.

Standing on the bridge with arms around his two remaining children, his tears followed theirs. The Firebird Rise grazed the sun, so close they dared not look upon it with naked eyes, rather viewing it filtered over the forward holographic display. A missile, converted to be Faith's coffin, streaked away toward her final resting place.

May her light shine across the universe.

Sai announced, "Sir, Admiral Glynn is calling on the long range com."

He nodded, wiping away the tears. "Put him through."

Moon sat down in the captain's chair with Hope and Gabriel seated on both sides. A large man with an auburn beard appeared on the center display panel. Moon noted that Liam Glynn's girth had increased since they last met nearly twenty Earth years ago, and streaks of gray appeared in his red beard. Beside him sat a dark-skinned woman wearing a red sari with hands clasped in her lap. Chancellor Janya Patel had aged as well, but the wrinkles on her slim face and frost of her short hair made her seem even more distinguished.

"Sir, we received your message and have some guidance for you." The man dipped his head solemnly. "First, allow us to express our deepest condolences for your loss. A loss not only for your family, but also for all of humanity."

"Thank you, Liam." Moon replied, bowing his head.

Hope stirred in her chair, catching Moon's glance. With tightened lips, she wrapped her arms around herself. Internally, he shared her discomfort.

Already, an unchosen destiny reaches for her.

The older woman leaned forward. "Until the proper time, I am sure you can appreciate the need for secrecy, sir." Moon nodded and she continued. "There is a person known only as Haven. For the last twelve Earth years, she had coordinated resettlement of Commonwealth refugees and hiding Free Dawn agents whose identities were compromised. Even we do not know who she is, and, for security reasons, I wish to keep it that way."

Moon narrowed his eyes. "Do you trust her?"

"We do. She has proven herself trustworthy. I do not deal with Haven directly, but my assistant does. Do you remember Claire?"

A blonde-haired woman appeared in the image, with a grim expression. Moon did remember her. Time had been kind to her. A few lines had appeared on her face and her cheeks had lost some of the fullness of youth, but she still possessed all of her striking beauty.

Moon smiled in return. "I do remember. You look good, Claire." He motioned to Hope and Gabriel. "She is the one I told you about. She saved your lives at Sanctuary."

Hope's eyes widened as she studied the woman. It was Gabriel who responded, displaying only a bit of his characteristic charming smile. "We thank you. That was quite the story Dad told."

Claire replied, "My, how you both have grown since then. But it was also my good fortune, your father and Celeste saved me in return. It is as the Writings say, acts of compassion tend to come back around." The smile faded and her eyes turned back to Moon. "I'm sorry about Celeste."

Moon replied, "It was a long time ago." But sometimes, it doesn't feel that way. "Do you think Haven will help us?"

"I'm sure she would, but I've lost contact with her. She became involved with a Free Dawn operation almost a year ago that did not go well. She barely escaped with her life and now she hides herself."

"Do you know where?"

"I think so, but I am not sure. I will send you the coordinates. She does not respond to the coded coms, so all you can do is go there and see."

Glancing at his children and seeing no objections, Moon said, "Then that's what we shall do. Thank you for your assistance."

Jayna said, "I would like to discuss plans for the future, especially for the Line of the Sol Empress."

Hope's breath hitched as the Chancellor's gaze bore down on her. Seeing his daughter's distress, Moon responded, "The future is a fragile thing right now. Let us save that for later."

Jayna nodded. "Very well."

Liam stroked his beard. "Good to see you, my friend, but I wish the circumstances were better. Safe travels."

Moon grinned. "Likewise, my friend. Until later." With the touch of a button on the captain's chair, the communication ended. Moon called out, "Sai, do you have the coordinates?"

"Yes, sir."

"Plot a course that avoids the common shipping routes and get us underway."

*****

Time did lessen the pain of grief, but the scars remained. Hardly a waking hour went by when something would remind Moon of his lost daughter, or a memory would well up into his consciousness.

He had wished to have meaningful discussions with Hope about her future, but she turned away the subject whenever he brought it up. It had only been two months since Faith's death, so Moon understood her resistance.

The burden of expectations will be heavy, no matter what path she chooses.

The planet Crinaeae laid in a remote sector of space just outside of the Commonwealth outer colonies. Named after mythical Greek water nymphs, it did not live up to the name. The terraform project went terribly wrong and the water mostly dried up, making it a desolate wind-swept world.

Which also makes it a good place to hide.

Moon stared at the visual image of the world, displayed in 3D by the holographic projector. The nearly planet-wide dust storm hid details of the surface. "Any response to our coded hail, Sai?"

"No, sir. Likely they would not receive it. Ionic interference generated by dust particle interactions would make both short and long-range communications nearly impossible."

Standing next to Hope, Gabriel furrowed his brow. "Any sign of life at the terraform settlement?"

Sai responded, "There is a weak energy signal emanating from the area, but it will not be possible to determine the exact location until we get closer."

Moon turned toward his son and daughter. "If anyone is around, that is probably where they would be." He turned his eyes up. "Sai, take us down there, slow and easy. There will be a lot of turbulence."

"Yes, sir."

Moon's prediction proved accurate. The swirling winds buffeted the Firebird Rise, throwing it back and forth beyond the abilities of the thrusters to compensate. Since the dust storm obstructed visual data, Sai guided the decent using radar under Moon's watchful eye. The ship landed with a jarring clunk.

Sai said, "Please excuse the hard landing, sir."

Moon grinned. "Under the circumstances, Sai, it was remarkably good."

"Thank you, sir."

Leaving Hope and Gabriel behind, Moon ventured out into the storm. Although mid-day, the blowing dust created an eerie brown twilight. The air was breathable, but he wore a space suit to protect himself from the dust. Lowering himself against the wind, he took small careful steps. The grit pelting his helmet sounded like sleet on a metal roof.

"Are you doing okay, Dad?" The static nearly drowned out Hope's voice.

Moon replied, "I'm fine, but I can hardly see more than two meters. Sai, am I going the right direction?"

Sai said, "Yes, sir. The energy source originates twenty-one meters straight ahead."

Trudging ahead, the walls of a rounded block building came into view. A faint light shone through a small dust-coated window. Moon spoke, "Sai, am I at the right place?"

Only static replied. He repeated, "Sai? Can you read me?" Again only static. "Damn."

Moon's heart raced and a tingle rose in his gut, moving to his finger tips. This doesn't feel right.

He drew the pulse pistol from a holster at his thigh, holding it up. Creeping around the building, Moon found the door. He was not surprised to find it unlocked, for what reason would anyone need to lock a door on this lonely world?

The door opened to a narrow vestibule, leading to another door with a frosted window. Wind howled into the small room, but then became uncomfortably quiet when Moon carefully closed the outer door. A shadow briefly blocked the light glowing through the inner door.

There is someone here.

Moon opened the inner door as quietly as he could, holding the gun ahead. It took only a second for his eyes to adjust to the brighter light, but when they did, he found himself staring at the business end of a pulse rifle. But the most shocking thing was not the gun, but the woman holding it, with dark hair, copper skin, narrowed cinnamon eyes, and a tattoo on her neck. Moon gasped and the pistol shook in his hand.

Celeste?