Chapter 22
Nova
They finally pulled apart, and questions poured out of Nova.
“How did you get here? What happened to the Delight? Do you need help?”
Melee made a soothing sound from deep in her chest. It immediately calmed Nova, just as it had done when she was a child.
“Easy, Nova. Let me answer one question before you ask the next one.”
“Please sit,” Miran urged. “I ordered tea and snacks. It shouldn’t be long before they arrive.”
No sooner did he say that than the door slid open and a delivery droid rushed into the room. It stopped inside and waited.
Nova let Nikla, the youngest cub, push her into a chair and the rest of the Tiema family resumed their seats. She managed to hold in her questions while Miran distributed snacks and tea.
Nova accepted a cup of tea but didn’t drink it. She was too excited to see the Tiema family again.
Finally everyone had a box on their lap and a mug in their hand. She let loose with her first question.
“Did you leave the Delight?”
“Yes,” Melee said. “You might not be aware, but the Delight hasn’t been doing as well as it used to. We’d been thinking about leaving for some time.”
“I know no one was making as much,” Nova said. “But I didn’t know it was that bad.”
“We were trying to figure out how we could take you with us,” Hashor, the oldest cub, said. “But it was clear we could never afford to buy your contract.”
“That meant we’d have to steal you!” the twins, Miffla and Mashie, said in unison.
Nova laughed, thinking they were joking, but a look from Melee indicated they weren't kidding.
“We were going to wait until later in the year when we’d be in the Tasini system,” Melee said. “The Tasini don’t like slavery and don’t honor slave ownership. Once we got you off the ship and onto one of their planets or stations, you’d have been free.”
Hashor made a sound of agreement. “We knew the Delight might’ve tried to recapture you so we planned to stay in the Tasini system for a while and wait them out. They’d move on once they realized it would cost more to acquire you than you were worth.”
“Gee, thanks,” she teased, feeling unbelievably loved. “It's nice to hear myself described as an asset.”
“But that's what you were to Riff,” Hashor reminded her. “You asked for so little, and it broke our hearts more each year that you were worked hard with no compensation and no future except to be cast aside in old age.”
Nova would occasionally think about her future, but it was so bleak that she never let herself dwell.
“I was happy because I got to be with all of you,” Nova whispered.
“You’re family,” Melee said. “I might not have given birth to you, but you’re my child, Nova. I would never leave one of my children to an uncertain future.”
Nova felt tears gather in her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“There was always a risk that Riff and Sanian would sell you before we could steal you,” Nikla said. “We all talked a lot and decided it was best if you didn’t know. We were concerned that you might not run when you needed to if you were worried about leaving us.”
“I ran, but I didn’t get far,” Nova said with a wet chuckle.
Melee and the cubs all turned their eyes to Miran. He’d already eaten through half his box of snacks while the rest of them had only nibbled on them. It was clear by his surprised expression that he hadn't expected to be pulled into the conversation.
“You bought Nova,” Melee stated. It sounded a lot like an accusation.
He swallowed quickly. “We only bought her to set her free.”
