Echoes of Harmony

Beacon Hills Apartments,

Mornage, Stariek

Ethan woke with a start, his bare chest and back soaked with sweat. His breaths came short and ragged. He looked around the room. Part of him expected to find himself still on the transport or buried under thousands of kilograms of dirt. He was surprised his sparsely decorated apartment bedroom was around him. The nightmare always went the same way. Lately, it seemed to be bothering him more than usual, no matter how much he tried to keep it away.

Just as he threw the covers back and tossed his legs over the side of the bed to stand, the door to his bedroom hissed open. Ava walked in carrying a cup of coffee. He hastily covered himself again as she held the mug out to him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked before taking a sip of the coffee. The warm liquid ran down his throat, slightly calming his shaking limbs.

“Do you remember anything about this morning?”

He wracked his brain but came up empty. In fact, the last month seemed like nothing more than a large black spot interspersed with vague fogs of memories.

“Nothing.” Ethan shook his head, which throbbed with pain. “How much did I have to drink? What day is it?”

“Well, an easier question would be how much alcohol is left at Stone’s after you were done there.” She managed a thin-lipped smile before letting it fall off her face again. “Ethan, this has got to stop. It’s not good for you or your family. Your sister stopped by just fifteen minutes ago looking for you.”

“She did?” He rose his eyebrows. “What was Emmie doing here by herself?”

“Apparently, she was worried when her big brother didn’t show up for Christmas Eve brunch.” Ava sat on the edge of the bed, folding her hands in her lap. “She said something about breaking a promise. Your parents figured you were busy and didn’t want to bother you, so she took it upon herself to come over and check up on you. She’s a good sister.”

The last words were said with a pointed look that made Ethan shrink away. He had forgotten all about the promise he made her to be there for Christmas.

“Is she still here?” he asked. Ava shook her head.

“I told her you had a long night and were sleeping in. She must’ve read between the lines, because she looked sad when I told her. You can’t keep doing this.”

Ethan hung his head. His face burned. Amelia always enjoyed the chance to spend time with him and gossip about school whenever he came over. Lately, it seemed like he was getting to see less and less of her, especially the last month. Lately, as in, ever since the battle. Ever since he started visiting Stone’s much more frequently than he did in the past.

“It’s hard,” he whispered. He stared at the ground, not wanting to look Ava in the eye. “First losing McCoy, then Burns. No matter what happened, the four of us seemed invincible. Now, they’re gone. We’ll never see them again.”

“But drinking yourself to death isn’t going to bring them back, and it’s certainly not doing you any good.” She reached out and gabbed his forearm, squeezing gently. “Just promise me you’ll try to stop.”

Ethan mulled the thought over in his head. He couldn’t deny how good it felt to forget everything one day at a time. And, though he would probably never admit it to Ava, he missed seeing his sister.

Slowly, he nodded.

“Great.” Ava released him and stood. “Now, on to a different matter. I shouldn’t have tried to tell you when you were three sheets to the wind. The Hyperions want to recall you, me, the other Snow Wyverns, and the rest of the military they disbanded. Apparently there’s been a development with the Druthagar.”

“Don’t tell me they’ve stepped up their kidnappings.” He barely hid a groan. If the Druthagar were attacking more frequently, that would just mean more lives ruined by their pirate activities.

“Not exactly. They declared war against the Hyperion Empire.”

Ethan’s heart dropped. Being an independent planet, Stariek was not involved in the last war between the two powers. Even being barely a teenager at the time of its end, however, he heard plenty of stories of the horrors it brought. Two superpowers in the galaxy going head to head was not his definition of fun.

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“That’s… something. So we’re being forced into a war on the Hyperions’ behalf? What, are we nothing more than cannon fodder?”

“No idea.” Ava shrugged. “All I know is that Fleet Marshal Tyn was given his position back, the Stariek fleet is being fully reinstated, and the Celestial Phoenix is operational again. Plus, there’s something else.”

“What is it?”

“The Druthagar ship that destroyed the Mad Banshee? It’s been spotted nearby. The Hyperions are tracking it and are giving us permission to take it out.”

Ethan’s mouth dropped open. His thoughts immediately went to the promise he made nearly two months ago. This was his chance to fulfill it. Not only that, but it was his chance to continue to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. The reason he joined the military in the first place.

“How soon do we leave?” he asked. “I’m in.”

“Get dressed first.” Her eyes flicked down to his chest for a fraction of a second. “Then we’ll head out.”

“Can it wait until after Christmas? There’s something I need to do first.”

#

Meridian Apartments

Mornage, Stariek

25 December 3926

Ethan took a deep breath as he stood outside the familiar door of the apartment, a gift bag in hand. Garland surrounded the doorframe. A wreath bedecked with tinsel and bells hung from a hook in the center. At his feet, a mat welcomed him “Ho-ho-home.” It looked as if Christmas threw up on the entryway, a sight that normally brought him joy and peace. Now, it brought nothing more than a tinge of fear.

He had asked Ava to come with him as a sort of moral support, but she declined. She felt it would be better if he did this alone. Apparently, she thought she would be encroaching on their family time, no matter how much he tried to convince her his parents considered her family as much as they did him. Perhaps more so after the last month.

After knowing he waited long enough—especially since the camera in the peephole would have alerted them to his arrival anyway—he knocked on the door. Muffled voices came from within. Slowly footsteps approached before stopping and hesitating. He held his breath, waiting for the inevitable. It wouldn’t be right if he blamed them for wanting nothing to do with him. After all, he ignored them for a month.

The door opened and a flash of brown hair was all he saw before a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection. Emmie buried her head in his chest, gripping as tightly as she could. Even though she was nearly half his age and much smaller than him, he hadn’t prepared himself for the force of the hug. He stumbled backwards, returning the embrace.

“Hey, kiddo,” he said, gently rubbing the back of her head. “I take it you missed me?”

“Yes!” came the muffled reply. A stab of regret went through him, but he pushed it aside. She leaned her head back to look up at him, though her grip didn’t lessen. “Where have you been? And why haven’t you shaved?”

“I wanted to see you so badly I forgot.” He absentmindedly scratched at his beard. “I’ve been busy for a while, but I wanted to make time for you guys.”

“Are you done drinking?” she asked, her voice more demanding than questioning. Her brown eyes, though, glimmered with something bordering on hope.

A pang of guilt went through him. He hadn’t realized at the time quite how much it had affected her. That wasn’t necessarily true, he knew the next moment. He hadn’t cared. As long as it made him feel better, even if for a little while, it was worth the pain it inflicted on others. Now, he knew better.

“Yes. You guys are more important.”

“Good.” She smiled up at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back. With a little hop, she hooked her arm in his. “Let’s go see Mom and Dad.”

“Let’s,” he said, taking on a posh accent. When they started forward, he held her back. “Actually, there’s one more thing before we go in, Amelia. Ava told me you stopped by my apartment yesterday.”

Her face flushed at what she must have assumed was an accusation. Using her actual name instead of her nickname typically had that effect. Before she could speak, he held out the bag to her. She took it gingerly, confusedly looking from him to it.

“It’s your Christmas gift. Don’t worry, I know I still owe you one for your birthday. I wanted to show you how sorry I was for missing it, but I’ll understand if you aren’t ready to accept my apology yet.”

Ethan knew she would love the gift. After all, he was her big brother. That didn’t prevent, though, the sea of nerves that was his stomach from churning. She reached into the bag, pushing past the ribbon paper he hastily shoved in at the store. After just a moment, she withdrew her hand with a thin piece of durable glass. Attached to it was a thin stylus similar to a pen. She looked up at him, her lips pursed and head tilted slightly to one side. Immediately, his stomach dropped.

“Did I get the wrong thing? I thought you loved drawing and writing, and I figured this would be great to help you with that. If you don’t like it, I can return it—”

“No, Ethan, it’s fine. I love it.” Her voice was quiet as she returned her gaze to the holographic tablet, turning it over in her hands. “It’s just that I know how expensive these things are. I don’t want you spending that much money on me.”

“Emmie, don’t worry about that.” Ethan knelt, noticing for the first time he had to look up at her instead of being eye-to-eye. “You deserve it. Someone told me how good of a sister you were, and it took some unfortunate events for me to realize that. Just promise me when you become a famous artist or write a bestseller, you’ll remember the little people, alright?”

Tears shone in her eyes. Ethan barely kept his own from leaking out. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for another hug just as a voice called for her from inside.

“Well, let’s not keep them waiting any longer.” Ethan released her and stood, holding his arm out for her to hook her own in again.

Together, they walked into their parents’ apartment. The assorted smells of spices reached his nose, drawing him in. Crossing the threshold lifted a heavy burden off Ethan’s shoulders. One he hadn’t realized was there until it was gone.

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