Repentence: Blood, Family and Tradition

Recorder on.

Reppy stands, watching out of the window of her personal battleship, the old Apocalypse class Terrastra Draconis. The ship is apparently undocked, maybe in an asteroid field.

She seems to be toying with an amulet of some kind. When she holds it up to the sunlight, it becomes clear that it is a miniature khumaak.

Weird world. Something starts as a symbol of power and faith, and ends up as a symbol of freedom and anarchy.

I'd forgotten I had this. Saki gave it to me for my eighteenth. Must've been one of the few possessions she had, I was really touched...

I've been wondering more and more what happened to her. Hell, what happened to all of the underground crowd. People just sometimes vanished, and they took it in their stride. So I did as well, because... well, that was just how it was for them.

She broods for a while.

Now, looking back, I realise just how much I and every other Khanid and Amarrian just took them for granted. A permanent underclass, and they didn't care, because trying to change it was impossible.

It's funny. The blazing row I had with Cael has made me think. Clearly he loathes slavery in all its forms, and while I still think he's a narrow minded idiot, he might have a point. The old system back home is flawed.

I want to go back home.

She pauses for a time.

Not to stay or anything. But I'm beginning to feel like there's a lot of loose ends, a lot of things I should clear up. Thing is, it's not that safe. I'm sure there are people who would get twitchy over having a known associate of the Cartel poking around. I may not have a Concord record, but that won't matter to everyone.

We'll just have to see, I guess. Inara probably won't be happy, but she'll understand. She always does.

I can't pick up what I left behind. That's gone for good, and I'd have to sacrifice too much to get it back. But abandoning my past isn't the answer. I need to honour it in some way...

She watches the flash of mining lasers for a time, then reaches out.

Recorder off.