Chapter Eighty Six - Law and Luck

The first time that Law came to realise that there was something odd about him and his brother was when he was just three years old.  Unlike Luck, who was a system in his true incarnation, he was used to the odd aches and unexplainable pains that came with having a human body.  He also never really thought about the tiny bruises that would occasionally appear on his fair skin.  He simply thought that this body was a little delicate.

He had been toddling down one of the corridors having successfully escaped from his cabin, Luck had been nervously plodding after him.  The boys were seriously overprotected by the crew of the Sabine, their room was a cave of soft toys and cushions.  All other toys were made of unbreakable plastics and rubbers and there was not a single sharp edge to be found anywhere; anything even resembling a corner had been filed down to a curve, wherever possible.  But Law, having been an adult several times, felt the crew were too overbearing and how were they supposed to investigate anything in this galaxy if they were stuck in a small cabin?  He really wanted to return to Warren as soon as possible, even if Yang had assured him that time was flowing different there and the boy likely would not even notice he had gone.  He had noticed, that was sufficient!

They hadn't managed to get far, when suddenly a shot of pain had burst across his elbow.  Luck had burst into tears and rubbed the bone he had smacked against the wall in a rush to catch up with his older brother.  Crybaby Luck was a clumsy kid and loud as well.  The tears quickly attracted Sly, who had been making his way to his own cabin after taking the twilight shift on the bridge.  He came and fussed over the tearful toddler and also extended his sympathies to Law, who was still rubbing his own elbow.  Identical bruises appeared on both boys.  Although this event did not completely open Law's eyes, it did raise his awareness.

It didn't take long to realise that he shared Luck's pain, Luck fell and bumped himself at least once a day.  Through little experiments, he found that if Luck held something warm, he would feel heat in his palms and if he touched something cold, Luck would feel the chill.  Overtime, they learnt they knew how the other felt, where other was and if the distance between them was too great, they would suffer odd pains in their chest, until they came to be side by side once more. Being this his first incarnation as a human, Luck had nothing to compare this existence too so was more accepting, it took Law longer to adapt. It took even longer for the crew to lighten their embrace.

When the Captain first allowed them to join the crew in pillaging from the rich as they flew across the stars in a sleek, slimline and top of the line ship, they were giddy with excitement. Their best friend, a ragamuffin that Swab had picked up off of a poverty stricken mudball when they had just turned four, had already joined the raiding team a couple of times and was quick to show off.

"Look, guys!" Zyre held a gold stud up to his ear that happened to be in the shape of a 'Z', which also happened to be the lazy nickname of the boy.  He was three years older than they were, his voice cracking in between the high notes of a child and the baritone of a young man.  When Swab had found him, a man was trying to sell the underweight, seven year old him as a slave.  Swab detested slavers or anyone who dabbled in human trafficking.  When confronted by those he considered the lowest forms of existence, he would rapidly lose his sunny persona and resemble closer a black hearted Pirate cliche.  According to Zee, he revealed this once he had opened up to the two boys, Swab had nutted the man, shattering his nose then kicked him in the balls.  There was blood everywhere!  Swab had then gently picked up the weak him and carried him to the ship, where he told the Captain he'd decided to adopt!

"It suits you," Luck told him, earnestly.  Luck hadn't learnt to lie and could still be considered very innocent.  Law was barely giving either of them his attention.  From the corner of his eye, he noticed the intense stare coming from the man that Zee had just robbed.  It made him nervous, especially for Zee, who seemed the target of the glare.

"Are your ears even pierced, Zee?" Law was wondering if he shouldn't encourage his friend to give the stud back and grabbed the stud.  "If not I could do it for you." In his nervousness, he accidentally shoved the stud against the tender flesh of Zee's lobe.

"Ow, ow, ow! That hurts!" Zee frowned and backed away from the source of his pain.  The twins laughed at him, one as it seemed like a fun joke, the other to cover his embarrassment.

It was then Luck caught onto Law's nervousness and followed to where the source lie.  He openly gazed at the broad shouldered man and tilted his head to one side as he considered him.  The boy had never learnt what it meant to be subtle.  He noted that this was the original owner of the earring and that he was starring at Zee like the boy was a thick, delicious steak.  He wondered why, then said aloud; "Do you not feel that that man is familiar?"

"What man?" Zee asked.

"The one you stole from," Luck replied.  Zee peeked back, his blue eyes met those piercing ones, his throat suddenly becoming dry.  He laughed nervously.

"I don't know," Zee responded, then punched Luck in the arm for scaring him.  Both boys responded, Luck covered the place that hurt and Law copied him sharing the pain.  "This is your first time out!  What would you know of people outside of the ship!"  He stormed after the crew that was leaving the transport for their own vessel.  Luck rubbed his arm with a pout as he and his brother followed.

*****

Aldon lingered over proposals made for a new contract between Chang Enterprises and the military.  Were it any other day, he could have thrown the proposal into the recycle bin and demanded to know what idiot came up with terms such as those?  Chang Enterprises were seriously lacking in innovation these past five years, their competitors were leaving them in an ionised trail and yet the proposal included exclusive rights?  But Aldon was not entirely feeling himself, so stared at it with unseeing eyes.  He could conclude that drinking with Haellen's man had been a mistake.  Too many memories had been dredged up from his past.  Those memories now refused to settle.

He was about to call it a day, when he received a message from Jariden asking if they could talk.  Aldon frowned.  He knew that his sister wanted a better relationship between her brother and her fiancé, so he agreed even though he did not really want to see the man.  Jariden arrived at his office an hour later.  Aldon indicated that he should sit and asked if he would like something to drink.

Jariden shook his head.  "I won't stay long," he replied.  "It is just that I inadvertently came into some information relevant to you prior to meeting you for the first time the other day.  I didn't know it was related to you, but you mentioned... somethings... when we were drinking..."

Aldon face remained cold and passive, but internally he winced.  "You probably shouldn't take my drunken ramblings seriously," he said, dismissively.

"If you say so," Jariden allowed, understanding that the man was embarrassed by his loose tongue.  "Then take this information as you will and do with it as you please.  I will say nothing further on the matter, once I leave here."

"Alright," Aldon allowed.  "What is it you wish to say?"

"A short while ago, the transport liner that I was travelling upon was accosted by Pirates," he told him.  "I haven't mentioned this to Haellen, didn't wish for her to worry." That was not a lie, but it was not the only reason he had not told her.  She probably would want him to speak to the militia, let them handle the situation, but he wished to get back his golden earring personally.  "Amongst the Pirates, there were two boys, who couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen.  They both had silver-white hair and black eyes and just happened to be identical twins."

Aldon froze and a heavy silence fell over the two men.  Blood was rushing in Aldon's ears and he did not hear the approach of a third party in the hallway to his office.  "Identical twins?  With silver-white hair?" He repeated those words and swallowed to moisten his suddenly dry throat.  "What should I do?"  His cold facade fell.

Jariden was not expecting the question and paused before asking; "What do you mean?"

"I'm a Military Official in government service," Aldon replied.  "My reputation is everything.  Yet, my sons, Myha's twins might still be alive?  I would be seen as a man that inflicted cruel suffering upon them by allowing them to be born. What should I do?"

The door slammed open and both men turned to find a tall, raven haired beauty standing in the doorway.  She was wearing the dark grey fitted uniform of the space military and her insignia stated her current rank was admiral.  "Is there something you need to tell me, Aldon," the woman said, her cold eyes glaring at the man.

"Jezmi... What are you doing here?" Aldon gulped.  Did she hear what he just said?

"I came to demand to know why my budget has been cut," Jezmi replied, entering the room and closing the door behind her.  "After all, I can't run fifty ships on that ridiculous figure!  There's no less Pirates terrorising the Empire, so why must I suffer less resources to bring justice to those bastards?"

"That's not my jurisdiction, Jezmi," Aldon told her, budgets were set by the Finance Minister's office.

"Suddenly, I don't care about that now!" Jezmi growled and slammed her fist on his desk, scattering that useless proposal onto the floor due to the sheer force used.  "My sister, your wife, died along with her child after she went missing.  That's what you informed me, isn't that what you informed me?" He looked away with a slight scowl and nodded.  He and Myha's father had told her that.  They had covered up everything about the babies.  "And all along, turns out that was bullshit?!  Aldon, where are my sister's children?"