hey, no warnings I can think of for this chapter aside from the implications and mentions of from last chapter, plot things are moving along. massive, massive thanks to snowyk (kara) my ever suffering beta (lol) who took time out of writing her honours thesis to look over this. ♥

Hyukjae noticed Zhou Mi's nerves while waiting and looked at him questioningly for a moment before realizing that this was most likely the first time he'd seen his mother since his exile. “You going to be okay?” he asked.

Zhou Mi jerked, obviously startled out of whatever train of thought he'd been wrapped up in. He blew out a slow breath, nodding. “I have not seen my mother since my exile. It will be... strange,” he admitted.

“Is she going to have problems with the twins?” Hyukjae asked seriously. Both Donghae and Amber's eyes still had a slight glow around them and he didn't want them further upset by a noble woman who could blame them for her son's exile and her own banishment from the capital.

“That I do not know, but my mother is a proper noble and she will not speak her mind until in private,” he admitted. “I did not even gain a chance to explain to her why I chose to do what I did, and she could harbor some resentment from that which would make explaining more difficult.”

“Should we go exploring then?”

“No, it is best for her to see that both Amber and Donghae are people, not just two unknowns that she may pin any resentment onto. As I said, she will not speak unkind thoughts until we are alone, but her mind will most likely be turbulent, so guard yourselves on that,” Zhou Mi said, encompassing everyone.

“Yes,” the others chorused, while Donghae nodded from Hyukjae's lap.

“They have docked,” Song Qian announced. “Berth... thirty-five.”

Hyukjae watched the slight gestures until Zhou Mi pointed in the direction opposite that they had arrived in. Hyukjae didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that Zhou Mi's mother would be spared the visualization of the lengths her son would go to in protecting those that he chose. Donghae stretched, shaking his head slightly. He smiled at Hyukjae and gave him a soft, lingering kiss that made Hyukjae feel like he'd just confessed all over again with the soft rush of emotions.

“Thank you my love,” Donghae whispered, giving him another kiss as he rose off Hyukjae's lap. Hyukjae smiled goofily, feeling like he was floating on cloud nine. Amber giggled at him, and he shook her hand a little, sharing in the mirth.

“You're welcome. Are both of you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” Amber assured. “We are prepared for any recriminations and are resolute in achieving what needs to be done. It will also be nice to see the children again.”

“What children?” came the soft, hesitant question.

Hyukjae looked over at one of the people they'd taken with them off Earth, startled for a second. With the six of them basically locked up on the other ship, he'd forgotten for a second that they weren't alone. The woman, who he realized was the same one that Zhou Mi had gotten to answer him on Earth, was the one who'd spoken and she watched him intently. He caught sight of one of the men starting to raise his hand to her for speaking. “Hey,” he rebuked sharply. “It's a valid question. And you aren't slaves anymore so ask all you want,” he muttered, slightly disgruntled.

Six blank, curious, and somewhat frightened faces stared back at him, almost uncomprehending.

“We are... free?” one of the men asked, hesitatingly as if he was fighting with himself to get the question out.

“Yes,” Zhou Mi answered. “I apologize for not informing all of you sooner, but it was imperative that we arrive here quickly. Whatever obligation existed on you from my family, it is now gone and you may go freely where you wish.”

“But how? We have nothing...”

Hyukjae grimaced. That was the hardest part about freeing slaves – getting them out to where they either needed or wanted to go, given a lack of funds to transport themselves.

“We will provide you transport,” Song Qian replied. “If you choose not to stay with us, we will take you to where you wish to go or provide funds if it is on a world where we are not welcome. There will be many of those soon.”

“Why?”

“You will soon find out,” Zhou Mi said, standing. Hyukjae turned his head slightly, picking up the noise of feet and soft conversation and looked back at Zhou Mi, seeing the nerves more clearly in the quick hand pushing hair back and straightening his dark shirt before Song Qian reached out and grabbed one of his hands to hold comfortingly. Seeing the others also standing, Hyukjae stood up as well, his hand habitually resting on his weapon while Amber released his other hand.

“Cousin!” Meng Jia greeted as soon as she'd come within eyesight. She hurried towards Zhou Mi as much as she could in the stiff formal wear, and the two cousins shared a hug and pressed their foreheads together for a moment.

“You are well, cousin?” Zhou Mi asked.

Meng Jia nodded, her relief clear. “Wang Fei reached us before we were summoned to the capital.” She glanced back for a moment. “I have not had a good opportunity to inform your mother about why we are here and not at the capital, but she has been told of our combined feelings of slavery and has been warned to treat everyone with respect.”

Zhou Mi nodded. “I thank you, cousin,” he breathed, and Hyukjae felt a little of the tension bleed from him.

Hyukjae smiled as the children playfully shoved each other in their haste to run and greet everyone, and the sound of their laughter echoing through the center of the station was such a joyous sound to Hyukjae, making him feel better about their planned course of action. Wang Fei approached them with a warm smile and leading an older woman dressed in shades of green.

“Hello Mimi,” Wang Fei greeted, her voice casual, familiar, and rife with warm affection.

Zhou Mi smiled widely. “Hello Feifei,” he said before giving her a long, lingering hug and they pressed their foreheads together for a moment before Wang Fei went over to greet Song Qian. Hyukjae watched Zhou Mi straighten up, a nervousness surrounding him. “Hello Mother,” he said simply.

“Hello Mi,” she replied, her voice soft and modulated, but Hyukjae caught her rapid glances over his face and body, as if making sure that her child was alive and whole. She held out her hands slowly, and Hyukjae realized she was just as nervous as Zhou Mi. He reached out as well, holding her hands for a moment before they pressed their foreheads together and Zhou Mi finally pulled his mother in for a hug, his tall body curving around hers.

“Mi, I do not understand,” Hyukjae heard her say as she pulled back. “What are we doing here? Are we going to Yangshi?”

Zhou Mi sighed. “No, Mother, we are not going to Yangshi.”

“Yet,” Hyukjae, Amber, and Donghae all muttered.

Zhou Mi shot them a tolerant glare, but his mother had either not heard what they said or wasn't going to comment on it. He nervously shuffled. “Mother, I am going to declare open rebellion on Zhou Li shortly. You may either stay with us and be afforded what protection we can provide, or you may return to Yangshi. He will not treat you any better than what you have already been treated, but it is your choice.”

The facade cracked, and her eyebrows came together, creased in worry as she shook her head slowly, her jeweled hairpins clacking against the stiff, high neck of her green dress. “Please do not do this, Mi. Please. I swore to your father to protect you, but I cannot do it like this.”

Zhou Mi shook his head. “I know. But I will see this through. I have many grievances against him, and they will be answered for at the price of the power he so eagerly seeks.”

“He is elderly and does not have too many solar cycles left in his life. A few cycles, and you can be Emperor anyway,” she cajoled. “It will only be a short time that you must endure.”

“I will never be Emperor, Mother. I hold no interest in the position and I do not possess the temperament to rule justly. If I go there, he will kill everyone who stands here now. He does not care for the well-being of anyone other than himself, and I can no longer run. He has chased us for almost a full cycle and he is fully prepared to plunder an unsuspecting world for his own gain.”

“If you will not be Emperor who will? Your cousins?”

Hyukjae blinked in surprise. The scornful tone of voice was familiar, but he was far more used to hearing it in Zhou Mi's voice.

“One of them, yes.” Zhou Mi turned slightly, and Hyukjae looked at Meng Jia, who seemed to be catching on to what Zhou Mi was saying, and her eyes widened. “Cousin, please consider the position. I will fight, I will rebel, I will do everything in my power to secure you loyalty from those that you do not already possess loyalty from until you can secure it on your own, but I cannot be Emperor. I cannot have that power and retain who I am. But you... you know what needs to be done and how to get others to follow you without force.”

She moved closer to him, resting a hand on his arm, the contrast between his drab black shirt and the sleeve of her bright gold dress catching Hyukjae's eye for a moment. “You are certain, cousin?”

Zhou Mi sighed and tugged Meng Jia along with him, headed in the direction of the skeletons. Hyukjae followed along after them, hearing the others following as well. Donghae ducked under his arm and Amber held his hand as they rounded the corner. The skeletons were still there, but Meng Jia had stopped in the middle of the hallway, her hands coming up to cover .

“I am certain,” Zhou Mi said quietly, the emotional strain starting to show. “I enjoyed what I did to them, cousin,” he continued, his voice having a slight shake to it. “I should not have the amount of power in the position of Emperor, knowing what I am capable of. I am far too much like him.”

Her hands dropped from and she shook her head. “No cousin... you are nothing like him, and you giving up that position of power proves it. I will do it. If my life is forfeit already, I will fight for the chance of survival for myself and the children.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Mi murmured, pulling her into a hug. “I have one favor to ask of you.”

Meng Jia nodded. “Name it.”

“Spare Hyukjae's planet. They are unprepared and vulnerable. Few of them know that they are not alone in the galaxy.”

Hyukjae caught the startled look, but she nodded quickly. “Of course.”

Wang Fei circled around from her spot next to Zhou Mi’s mother, who was still looking at the skeletons with horror, the blank shock slowly fading into her normal slightly amused expression as she picked up the hem of her red dress slightly as she stepped around. “What did they do, Mimi?”

Hyukjae caught the sneer and wondered if Zhou Mi felt like killing them again. “They harmed and insulted those that I care about. I ensured a repeat would never occur.”

Wang Fei looked around, pausing slightly at Song Qian and looking for a moment at Hyukjae, who had both Donghae and Amber close, and she nodded. “Good. Filth like that does not deserve a continued existence.” Her head tilted curiously, her dark hair pins making noise on her outer dress. “What role have you already planned for me?”

Zhou Mi's shoulders sagged a little. “I do not have one yet,” he slowly admitted. “We are planning this as it goes and as the situation dictates. I am just now gathering the pieces.”

She shrugged. “That I can easily assist with.”

Hyukjae looked over at Donghae when he felt the squeeze on his waist. “What's up?” he whispered. “Want to go?”

Donghae nodded, his eyes glowing. “We should determine if there are items of value or usefulness left behind.”

“Do you think there's any?”

Donghae shrugged, rolling his eyes slightly. “Officers will leave some of the most useful objects on occasion.”

“I will stay with everyone,” Amber said slowly. “I do not wish to revisit those places.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “We're going to go exploring for stuff,” he said louder, catching Zhou Mi's attention, and jerking his head towards Donghae.

Zhou Mi nodded quickly. “Of course.”

Hyukjae followed Donghae as they wandered the empty halls hand in hand, occasionally shifting things out of a pile. It mostly looked like clothes and trinkets that people would leave behind in their haste to leave, along with signs that maybe wandering bandits had arrived at some point to find anything of value. Donghae singled out particular rooms or areas for a more thorough look, explaining what he remembered of the station before the raid.

They wandered up to the third ring in a roundabout way, and Hyukjae wondered if Donghae was running on autopilot, half lost in memories. Donghae turned to smile at him. “I can feel your concern for me,” he said. He stopped in front of a door and sighed. “It is difficult, somewhat,” he admitted. “While it was no worse than what I had already experienced during my servitude, it was also much worse emotionally since I was not prepared and was taken off-guard.”

Hyukjae nodded, unable to really say anything.

“But Song Qian is correct. The memories have been mitigated by time, and your renaming the station has also helped both twin and myself move out of the memories and remain in the present. As you have said many times – we have survived and we are loved.”

Hyukjae smiled widely and pulled Donghae into a hug, his affection and love spilling over. “You have and you are,” he whispered.

“That is what brings us comfort,” Donghae whispered back. When he pulled back, he looked at the door. “Let us see if any of our belongings remain.” The glow was back in Donghae's eyes, but his expression was calm. Without being able to read his mind, Hyukjae was left with those two pieces of information.

He nodded towards the door. “This is where you stayed?”

Donghae nodded.

Hyukjae hesitated for a second. “Is this where...”

Donghae nodded ag