A Return to Form

[Thexare]

The Santini estate on Planet Cambridge was a pleasant retreat from the family's old life, and yet Emilio was restless. He had plenty of money, ownership of a small fleet of starships, but... something was missing.

He did not have power. He had grown quite accustomed to the influence he once wielded over Malta. And try as he might to retire, his thoughts always returned to his holdings on Malta. His younger daughter was there with him at the estate, but no one else. His adopted son Santiago was accompanying his wife on a shopping trip, to ensure her safety - caution was always the Santini way.

"You're thinking about Malta again," Tiana said. It was not a question; the two were much alike in many ways. She knew him better than almost anyone. "You want to go home."

"... This is home," he said flatly. "That, at least, is what I have tried to tell myself. I know Mia doesn't want us to go back. But I cannot sit idle here."

"Should I retrieve my sister, then?"

"No, let her be," Emilio said, barely letting Tiana finish her question.

"She's been following that Order agent around. That could be a problem, you know."

"Tell me, Tiana, do you believe in the spirit cults?"

"Shoot me if I ever do."

"As I thought. And she is happy with him, she is at peace. I will not take that from her," he declared, making it clear that there was no room for discussion. "This thing we do, not everyone is suited to the life. And I don't expect her to get in the way."

Just then, a Kusari man walked into the room holding a somewhat sizable box. "Package from Mia," he said, putting it onto the table and opening it. On top, there was a letter.

You're going back to Malta. I know I can't stop you.

A puppeteer is nothing without his puppets, after all.

Don't forget your humanity. Don't be one of those who throws lives away simply because they aren't Maltese. The Maltese are capable of being so much more than they are now.

I had something made for Tiana, Santiago, Aina and Ayumu, to remember the times when we all flew together. They should fit.

We may never meet again, but know that I'm happy and I hope you will be too.

~Mia Santini
Mirage White-2

The room was silent for a full minute after everyone read the letter. Finally, Tiana spoke up. "How the hell does she keep doing that?" It was a rhetorical question, of course - no one knew, and yet everyone knew. Tiana took after their father in terms of demeanor and plotting, but Mia had far surpassed both at reading people.

Under the letter were five folded flight jackets, each with a distinctive patch on the shoulder.

"She does know I know about Serena, doesn't she?" Emilio asked, looking at his daughter and son-in-law.

"I think she knows you know," Ayumu responded.

"Let's... cut that chain off before it goes any further," Tiana added, not wanting to complicate things further. "It's probably another game to her."