“Jordan.”

The voice was unmistakable. It was firm, clipped, carrying authority even when deliberately restrained.
Jordan froze mid-reach, fingers hovering just above the rim of a glass on the bar. He’d been leaning forward, one elbow planted against the polished surface as the bartender finished pouring a pale amber drink flecked with Talaxian spice. Around him, the Prixin festivities were in full motion. Layered music drifting through the air, overlapping conversations, bursts of laughter, the warm hum of a celebration built on togetherness.

It all felt too much. Too exposed. Jordan was hoping he could just get through this evening by keeping to himself with Alfie. He was getting tired of hearing how much everyone owed them, and now his father was in his orbit.
Jordan straightened slowly and turned.

“Dad,” he said, keeping his tone neutral.

Captain Max Duncan stood a step behind him, hands clasped behind his back out of habit rather than necessity. He wasn’t in uniform, Prixin had been declared a casual observance at the Talaxians’ request, but the posture was unmistakable. Being a captain remained with him even during a casual but formal event. For a moment, Jordan could see how much his father was like his grandfather, Fleet Admiral Luke Duncan: the posture, the power and the atmosphere he carried. He had only met his grandfather a few times, but the senior-most Duncan certainly held himself in high regard. Now Jordan’s father was sharing that same presence.

Max looked at his son for a long moment before speaking again. “You alright?”

Jordan blinked. Of all the things he’d expected, an order, a correction, a reminder about appearances, that hadn’t been it. What was his dad playing at? Could he really be bothered by all of this? He had no idea.

“I’m fine,” he replied quickly.

Max frowned. “You don’t look fine.”

Jordan exhaled slowly through his nose and turned back toward the bar. “I’m just getting drinks. For Alfie and me.”

“I know what you’re doing,” Max said. His voice was short, not sharp, but clipped with restraint. “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you were alright.”

Jordan closed his fingers around the glasses as the holographic bartender slid them across. One for him. One for Alfie. He could already picture the way Alfie would smile when he handed it over, soft, grounding, familiar. He wanted to be with him right now, light-years away from this awkward conversation.

“And I said I’m fine,” Jordan repeated, more firmly this time. He pivoted to leave.

“Jordan.” Max reached out, not to grab him, not forcefully, just enough to touch Jordan’s wrist.
Jordan stopped instantly.

The contact was light, but it sent a flare of irritation through him like a burst of warp plasma. He looked down at Max’s hand, then back up, eyes tight.

“What?” Jordan asked almost through gritted teeth.

Max withdrew his hand at once, as if realising too late that he’d crossed a line. “I’m not here to fight,” he said. “I just want to talk and help. Please give me a moment to listen.”

Jordan waited, guarded. He blinked a few times in silence.

“I know Alfie matters to you,” Max resumed, knowing the glare he was receiving wasn’t going to drop anytime soon. “I know he’s important. And I know you probably think I’m too old to understand that, but when I say this, I want you to know that I do understand wanting time alone with someone you love.”

Jordan’s jaw tightened. “I never said you didn’t.”

“Good, because if you did think that, then your father and I haven’t been setting a good example to you or William these last few years. You know how much I love him and love being married to him. And having you and William in our lives, in our family, has made us better.” Max pressed on. “What I don’t understand is why you’re acting like you’re being taken away from Alfie every time someone asks anything of you.”

Jordan laughed under his breath. It was short, humourless. “Because that’s what it feels like.”

Max frowned. “That’s not fair.”

“Maybe not,” Jordan shot back, “but it’s how it feels.”

There it was, the crack. The thing Max could never quite get ahead of.

“I’m your dad,” Max said quietly. “And over the last few years, I’ve learned when something isn’t right with you.”

Jordan stiffened. “I didn’t ask you to analyse me.”

“I’m not analysing you,” Max said. “I’m worried about you. You’re my son, I love you, and I don’t want to see you like this. It’s my job to worry about you and your brother.”

Jordan’s grip tightened on the glasses. “You’re worried because I’m not behaving the way you expect me to.”
“I’m worried because you’re shutting me out.”

Jordan opened his mouth to respond—

“Captain Duncan.”

The interruption came from Elaren, who approached with an unmistakable brightness, his blond hair catching the warm overhead lights. At his side walked an Ocampan woman Jordan hadn’t seen since Talveya. She was small and pale, her movements careful but deliberate, her eyes bright with age and awareness. She wore a short, earthy mustard top and a long, dark, patterned floor-length dress. Over her shoulders was a dark green shawl.

Max straightened instantly, instinct overriding emotion. He moved from father-mode to captain of the Odyssey.

“Elaren,” Jordan said, surprise softening his expression. “I didn’t know she was coming.”

Elaren beamed. “She insisted, and I got overruled.” He turned toward Max. “Captain Duncan, may I introduce you to my mother. Keritis. She is one of our elders and formerly the Ocampan leader of our settlement.”

Max inclined his head respectfully. “Elder Keritis. Welcome aboard the Odyssey. It’s an honour to have you with us as we celebrate Prixin with your Talaxian companions.”

Keritis studied him for a long moment before smiling. “Thank you, captain. You have an impressive ship and a friendly crew. It is absolutely delightful to be here this evening. Please ignore my son if he comes across as too worried about my health and well-being. He is overprotective of me as he thinks I am way too old for such events.”

“Mother!” Elaren whispered, almost embarrassed at her words towards the captain. “Please excuse her, captain, my mother has lived for over ten years now and was one of the first children born on Talveya. My grandparents led our people here from Ocampa, and their wisdom has been carried from them to her and now with me.”

Max chuckled at both Ocampans in a friendly, respectful way. “It’s fine, I know what it’s like to want the best for your parents as well as your children.” He looked at Jordan briefly before returning his focus to their guests.

“You carry leadership heavily,” Keritis observed. “That is not a criticism.”

Max blinked, then smiled politely. “I’ll… take that as a compliment. I think.”

Her gaze shifted to Jordan, recognition immediate.

“And you,” she said warmly. A smile crept on her face. “You have been missed. How is the quiet one?” She asked as she opened her arms out towards him.

Jordan huffed a small laugh before putting his drinks down and returning the embrace with the older woman. “I’ve been called worse. It’s good to see you here, ma’am.”

Keritis slowly let go of him before she rubbed his cheeks. “Please, Jordan, stop with the formalities. I told you and Alfie off for that. I remember a young man showing me respect in other ways, especially when you listened when others spoke,” Keritis said. “You learned when others demanded answers. You took time to get to know us and for us to get to know you. What a privilege.” She turned back to Max. “Your son brought calm and respect to our colony. Having off-worlders among our people had become almost a strange abstract for them. However, their presence changed many. You should be proud of him.”

Max’s face softened, pride unmistakable. “I’m very proud of him and Alfie.”

Jordan winced. “Everyone keeps saying that.”

“And you disagree?” Keritis asked gently.

Jordan hesitated. “I just don’t think we did anything special.”

Keritis tilted her head. “Sometimes the most important acts are the ones that feel natural.” She glanced between them, then gestured toward a nearby table. “May we sit? I am too old to stand through unresolved tension.”
Max motioned toward the chairs. “Of course.”

Jordan hesitated, but Max’s look was unmistakable. Go along with it.

They sat.

Keritis removed a green talisman from around her neck and placed it on the table. The stone shimmered faintly under the lights. “Do you remember this?” she asked the young cadet.

Jordan nodded. “Your heirloom from Ocampa.” He looked to his father to explain it more. “When Keritis’ parents left Ocampa, they brought a piece of it with them, never to forget where they came from. It’s meant to help Ocampans develop their telepathic abilities as they grow. It’s meant to ground them and help them share with one another their understanding and experiences of their journeys.”

“Yes,” she said, smiling at how much Jordan had remembered. “It helps focus shared perception.”

Max frowned slightly. “Shared perception?”

Keritis smiled. “Understanding, Captain. Sometimes we need help seeing what is directly in front of us as we Ocampans get older and how we can take the next steps in our lives.”

“It sounds very holy,” Max replied.

“It may seem that way,” she said as she shook her head, “but there is no religion in it, captain, just pure understanding. The talisman reminds me of my parents and is sentimental to me. When I move on beyond this life, Elaren will take over looking after it, but until then, I have the honour of using it to help others as much as I can. It helped both Jordan and Alfie.”

“It did?” Max questioned, intrigued to hear that. “How?”

“They honoured me by joining in meditation as well as letting me connect with them on a telepathic level,” Keritis smiled at Jordan, recalling her time with the two of them. “They have a strong bond with each other, one that they both share a firm affection for.” She looked at both of them. “I sense a similar strong bond between you, almost like I have with Elaren. The bond between parent and child is so important.”

“It is,” Max agreed in an almost whispered tone.

Keritis looked between the two of them. “But I sense something more at the moment between you.’

“Please, Keritis, not now,” Jordan quietly begged.

“Come now, my young friend,” She patted his hand. “You spoke fondly about both of your fathers during our time.”

“It’s really nothing, Keritis,” Jordan tried to assure her.

“Do not deceive me, quiet one. I may be younger than you, but I have lived long enough to know when the heart and mind are not quite right.” Keritis’ tone changed slightly, becoming a bit more forceful. She placed her hands on the table. “May I?”

Jordan and Max exchanged a glance. Reluctantly, they both nodded. Keritis took their hands and insisted they take each other’s as well. The talisman warmed beneath their fingers. The air around them seemed to still. The hum beneath the table vibrated faintly through their fingertips.

“See each other,” Keritis murmured. “Not as authority and defiance. Not as expectation and disappointment. But as you are. Understanding is a fundamental link between us. Bring calmness to yourselves, to one another, to see through each other’s eyes and to fully appreciate each other’s perception of the galaxy around us. Be at more ease with one another.”

For an instant, something shifted.

Not a vision. Not words.

Just a sensation.

Max felt pressure behind his eyes. A dull ache was blooming at his temples.

Jordan sucked in a breath, his own head beginning to throb.

Then it was gone.

Keritis released them, the talisman dimming.

“Thank you for humouring an old woman,” she said softly. “The path forward will not be comfortable, but it will be clarifying.” She stood up slowly. “Now, this is meant to be a party, and I do enjoy Talaxian champagne, and I would love a slice of taga cake.”

“Oh, there’s plenty of that somewhere,” Max said, standing in respect to the older woman.

She smiled at the captain, then at Jordan. “Take care of one another.”

As she left, Jordan pushed back his chair immediately. “I’m going to find Alfie,” he said flatly.

Max watched him go, his own head beginning to ache as Tobias appeared at his side. “What just happened?”

Tobias asked, handing him a drink.

Max rubbed his forehead. “An Ocampan attempt at perspective or some sort of blessing. I don’t know.”
Tobias raised an eyebrow. “Did it work?”

Max shook his head slowly. “I think it made things worse.”

Placing a reassuring hand on his husband’s shoulder, Tobias looked at him. “Just give Jordan his distance, Max. You’ve tried.”

Max nodded and looked at his husband with affection. “I think you’re right. I suppose we’d best get back to seeing the rest of our guests.”

Tobias moved his hand across Max’s back to bring him in closer. “Come on, Captain Duncan, we can’t let the side down.”

Max rubbed his forehead as they started to walk away.

“You okay?” Tobas asked, noting his husband’s movement.

“Yeah, it’s just probably a headache brought on from stress combined with that Talaxian champagne!”

Across the room, Jordan handed Alfie his drink. “Can we leave?” he asked quietly. “I just want to be away from my dad and all of this.”

Alfie studied Jordan’s face, concern flickering. He hesitated at first. “Yeah,” he said gently. “We can go.”

Jordan rubbed his forehead again. “I’m getting tired.”

Alfie kissed him softly. “You want to talk about it?”

Jordan shook his head slowly. “Not at all, and there’s nothing to talk about. I just need a change of scenery.”

“How about we head back to my room? We could make it messier than yours!” Alfie proposed with a suggestive smirk followed by a cheeky wink.

Jordan put both of their drinks down in a hurried movement on the nearest clear table. “That is the best offer I’ve had all evening.” Jordan took Alfie’s hand with a giggle and led him away from the celebration without anyone noticing their departure. He was finally escaping from this place and towards somewhere he could relax and be with his boyfriend.