Raan didn’t wait to watch Asher walk across the bridge, turning and walking back to his desk. Until the ready room on the Resolute, he didn’t have to duck his head before he sat down. It was nice. Meant he didn’t have a headache until he learned to duck. 

It also meant that he didn’t have to look at Asher until he was in Raan’s office. 

“Err, your coffee, sir,” he said, putting the drink down on Raan’s desk. He looked at it, and frowned. “At least, I think it’s coffee.” 

Raan grunted, a small sound of amusement. “It is, somewhere under all the sugar and sprinkles,” he said, indicating the seat opposite his desk. “Take a seat, Asher, and let’s drop the formalities, shall we?”

Asher shot him a surprised look and nodded as he sat down. “Wasn’t sure you even knew my name,” he said, his voice carefully emotionless. 

Raan suppressed the wince. He deserved that, he really did. He was listed as Asher’s father, yet he’d never been part of the young man’s life. 

“I know your name,” he said in a low voice and then nodded toward one of the boxes near the shelves. “Open that.”

His ready room was in the same state as his quarters were… as in he hadn’t unpacked yet. Although, the ready room box was smaller than those in his quarters. Just a few small trinkets he’d found over the years that he told himself that he’d put in his ready room when he got one. Then they’d given him the Resolute, which had had a ready room the size of a cupboard. He’d had a nice picture on the wall, a space scene, but no shelves. Nowhere to display his carefully collected trinkets. 

Asher frowned at him as he levered himself out of the chair and approached the box. Raan watched him as he opened it and pulled out the items on the top. They were photo frames, the folding type from home. 

Asher’s eyes widened as he opened them, his gaze shooting up to clash with Raan’s. “These are…”

Raan nodded. There were two frames, four images. Two were from the war. One image was of him and Bennett, his arm looped over Bennett’s shoulders. It had been after a battle so they were both soaked from the rain and covered in dirt, but they had big grins, just happy to be alive. The other was of him and Kovash, the rivan sat on a wall making bunny ears behind his head just as the image had been taken. He remembered that day. It had been between battles, and they’d taken some RnR between the action. 

“Dad said the war was tough,” Asher murmured, putting the frame on the shelf. “ Did you—“ He cut himself off and opened up the other one. Raan knew what he saw. 

He was looking at a younger version of his father, in llanarian formal dress, next to Raan himself, wide smiles on both their faces. 

“Dad has this as well,” he murmured. “This is your wedding day.”

Raan nodded, watching as Asher looked at the other image in the frame. It was a younger Asher, and his father, Thais. 

Asher looked up, his eyes so like Thais’s that for a moment Raan was taken back. His look was hard, accusatory. “I didn’t think you’d have a copy. Not like you’ve been a part of our lives.” 

“No,” he agreed in a level voice. He hadn’t been part of Asher’s life. Hell, he hadn’t even known Thais had a son until he’d gotten the message that Asher’s family had dropped him off on Thais’s doorstep after Asher’s mother’s death. Neither had Thais, but he’d changed his whole life to look after Asher. 

Asher didn’t put the photos on the shelf as he retook his seat. “So why do you have these then?”

“Your dad is married now—” Raan replied, and cut himself off. It was an excuse and a pointless one. Llanarians practiced multiple marriage. It made no difference whether Thais was married to someone else as well. 

“It was a political marriage. Not a love match,” he said in a low voice, forced to be honest as Asher glared at him. It was nothing less than the truth. Their match had been a dynastic one. And Thais had had to give someone up, someone important to him. Raan had never stopped feeling guilty about it. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, and your father.”

Asher’s expression didn’t change. Raan tilted his head slightly. “Why did you accept the assignment here?” he asked curiously. “I mean, you knew I was in command and you appear to have a problem with me. No,” he lifted his hand as Asher went to speak. “This is a personal matter so nothing you say will go beyond this room. It will not affect your service or record in any way.” 

Asher still had hold of the photo frame, fingertips lightly over the image of his father in formal dress. “He still has that jacket, you know?” 

Raan didn’t break eye contact, just nodded. 

Asher sighed. “Would you believe me if I said I accepted because I knew Dad had accepted the XO position on the Resolute?” 

Raan shook his head. “Try again. You accepted before Thais was offered the XO role.” 

Asher just gave him a mulish look. He was so like his father. Which made him easy for Raan to read. He wasn’t getting anything out of Asher, not right now. 

“Okay, I’m going to take that as you accepted a very good posting for a young officer not long out of the academy,” he said, offering Asher an out. There was a slight lessening of tension in the kid’s shoulders, then he nodded. “And I look forward to seeing what you can do. Especially with Kovash as your mentor.” 

Asher’s gaze flicked over to the other set of photos. “That’s Lieutenant Kovash there?” 

Raan nodded. “Yes. She’s one of the best pilots you’ll ever meet. Learn from her. Just be warned, she has a temper, and she’s a grouch in the morning, but… you can bribe her with chocolate. Just don’t try drinking that engine degreaser she calls coffee.” 

Finally he got the edge of a smile. “She seems nice,” Asher admitted and looked down at the image. “Can I get a copy of this?” 

“The one of you and your dad? Of course.” 

“This one as well.” Asher surprised him by tapping the other image. 

Warmth spread through Raan’s chest. He hadn’t thought Asher would actually want an image of him. “Sure you can. I’ll get them sorted for you.” 

Asher nodded and leaned forward to put the frame on the desk. 

“Did you need me for anything else, sir?”

“No, I’m good.” Raan shook his head, suppressing his smile as Asher levered himself out of the chair and headed toward the door. 

“Oh, Asher,” he said before Asher reached the door. “We will rendezvous with the Resolute in a couple of days. Twelve hour layover… if you want to visit your father during that time, then just let the transporter chief know.”

Asher looked over his shoulder, and nodded, then left the room. 

Mason sat there for a moment, then reached out and picked up the photo frame. Opening it, he looked down, tracing a blunt-edge fingertip over the image, over the formal jackets he and Thais had worn. Ankle length, they’d been heavily embroidered with intricate symbols to mark the alliance between their families. 

He still had his jacket as well…