Project Prometheus Ch. 80 - Teaser (Patreon)

“She is… and I wasn’t there. Not for her childhood, her first steps, for scraped knees, broken hearts or graduation ceremonies,” Inari admitted as her voice thinned slightly, though it did not break. “I loved her from a distance, and watched over her when I could… but I wasn’t there.”

Silence hung between them, heavy but not suffocating.

“And now,” she went on, “now I bring her into this mess we are in, involving ancient warships, political tension and enemies who don’t hesitate.”

“Part of me wonders if I should have fought her on this,” Inari said as she exhaled sharply through her nose. “Denied her and told her no, that this wasn’t her path.”

Alex studied her for a long moment before responding.

“If you had,” he said carefully, “what do you think would have happened?”

“She would have resented me,” Inari admitted after a beat of hesitation. “She’s strong-willed, curious, and wants to make her own path. If I’d barred the door… she would have pushed back.”

“Hard,” Alex supplied.

“Yes.”

“Resentment is a quiet fracture,” he said, nodding slowly. “It doesn’t explode immediately. It spreads and deepens, especially between parent and child.”

“If you had denied her outright, you might have protected her body for a time,” Alex went on, leaning forward slightly. “But you’d risk damaging the relationship you’re only just building.”

Inari’s gaze softened, though her brow remained furrowed.

“You gave her agency,” Alex continued. “You treated her as what she is… an adult, not a little girl.”

“Careful,” Inari said as a faint smirk touched her lips, and Alex returned it with one of his own.

“I’m aware she will always be your little girl, as it is every mother’s right to see their child that way.”

“Clever phrasing… sir,” she said as she narrowed her eyes at him, though there was no real heat in it.

“I try not to get verbally flayed when possible,” Alex replied with a chuckle and that earned him a short, genuine laugh; the tension easing, but not entirely.

“She’s a nurse,” Alex added. “Her vocation alone makes frontline combat unlikely. Even if she wanted it, her skillset is too valuable elsewhere. And even if she were on the line… you cannot protect her all the time.”

Inari’s expression went still as she continued to listen.

“She is her own woman now,” he finished. “Physically, mentally, and legally.”

“I know,” Inari whispered as a flicker of pain crossed her face. “I know that, but knowing and feeling are not the same thing.”

“No, they’re not,” Alex agreed quietly as he shifted slightly, drawing one knee up. “You didn’t abandon her to danger. You brought her into an environment where she is surrounded by people who would bleed for her.”

“And you think that’s better?” Inari asked, her eyes sharpening at the comment.

“I know it is,” Alex said evenly, holding her gaze. “Because the galaxy doesn’t get safer just because we want it to. She would face risk somewhere, but at least here she’s not alone, and she’s seen, trained and prepared. And most importantly, she’s with you.”