The den had been quiet the night the 'Dreams jumped from Entrope system.  None of the crew felt much like talking. 
Doc Sharma was running the last few tests on blood samples taken from Oriene, who had quickly fallen asleep once they had entered Jumpspace.  Lex stared intently at another of her holo-sims, refusing to meet anybody's eyes or respond with anything more than a grunt or dismissive wave of her three-fingered hand.  Zin Alder had no old war stories he wished to tell. 

      As soon as the G's had allowed for it, Besh-ba had gone to her quarters and had not returned. 

No-one had actually seen the star port destroyed, they hadn't waited around in orbit for long enough for any Confederation Vessels to track them.  However the residual EM readings, not to mention the various garbled reports across the spectrum from Sword World and other sources, suggested a catastrophic nuclear disaster had taken place.  
 
      Two days into the Jump, worried the captain had taken sick, Doc Sharma ran the emergency override on her quarters.  The lighting was low, an bottle of some unidentified liquer lay on the desk, a holo-screen displayed a slideshow of old images, mostly of Besh-ba and Radiz.  Besh-ba lay on her bunk, one arm hung limply over the side.  He stood there, uncomfortably for a second, cleared his throat, then moved to turn off the flickering holo-emitter.

      "Leave it."  came the voice from the bunk, exhausted but firm.
      "You're awake?"
      "Yup."
      "I... the crew were getting worried about you."  On seeing her, Vidur felt especially concerned.  Besh-ba looked pale and thin, older than she had ever looked before.
      "Yes."  she acknowledged, unhelpfully, without emotion or inquiry.
      "Besh-ba, as your Doctor I think..." 
      "I know, I know, dont wear out the 'as your Doctor' line.  Im perfectly well.  I'll be out soon, just... just go."   
The Doc sighed disapprovingly and turned to leave.
      "Viddie..."  she added, hastily.
      "Captain?"
      "Is...Oriene?  Is she well?"  Vidur peered back into the room, leaning on the bulkhead and blinking in the dim light.
      "Shes fine, Besh.  Healthy, if a little undernourished.  However, she's been asking for her mother... If you like, I mean, I wondered if I should..."
      "No. Did I ask you to tell her anything? Its none of you concern, doctor!."  Besh-ba took a deep inward breath.  "I'll tell her when the time is right."
Doctor Sharma said nothing as he left, silently tutting and shaking his head.

It was faintly worrying for the crew of the 'Full Cargo Empty Dreams' to see their captain like this.  Even granting the circumstances, it was unheard of for Besh-ba Valence to be so caught up with emotion or sentiment that she neglected her duties aboard ship.
Their new young shipmate was growing up quickly and, after two years, was more than capable of asking difficult questions, making the crew highly uncomfortable, for Besh-ba had put an out-right ban on anyone talking about Entrope or her nephew.  Eventually it became too much.  In Albe Freeport, while Zin took Orriene to the Holo-park, Lex and Vidur confronted Besh in the den.

      "Shes d-driving me mad, Besh, I cant work without her asking me s-something, and if I cant give her an answer she just k-k-keeps on going!"   Lex moaned.
     "Huh, all kids do that.  You should be thankful you weren't on board when dizzy was..."   Besh-ba's retort trailed off into nothingness, she sat heavily on the edge of the table, looking sullen and distant.  Vidur shot Lex a glance, who flung her hands in the air and went aft to check the status of the diagnostics program she had been running.
The doctor sat beside her and placed a hand gingerly on her thigh.  She brushed it away, angrily, but he stayed where he was, unperturbed, speaking softly.
      "Its not fair on her.  She's got to find out sooner or later.  Its hard, but she'll recover quicker if you tell her now."
      "I know, Viddie, but I...I see her and..."
     "It'll be easier on you too, Besh.  It cant just be forgotten about, you need to come to terms with what happened as well.  Talking to Oriene - to us  - its the best way to settle it in your own mind."  He shook his head slowly, recalling his own past follies and traumas;  certainly, there had been enough of them.  "Believe me, thirty years as a Doctor has taught me there's no other way to do this."   He squeezed her hand.  It felt cold and lifeless next to his own, but eventually she reciprocated, looking up at him searchingly, as if willing his face to show her the answers she wanted.  They sat like that, in silence, before Vidur became uncomfortable; unused to seeing Besh-ba so vulnerable, he spoke again to break the tension.   "It'll be fine, we'll move forward, together, like we always do.  CCSS."
Aware of how awkward she had made him feel, Besh-ba gave a wan smile and got to her feet, kissing the ageing doctor gently on his forehead as she did so.  She sighed, raggedly, then fiercely wiped her eyes, composing herself.
     "If you tell Zin or Lex about that, Vidur Sharma, I'll throw you straight out the airlock!"  she said, sternly.
    "Aye, Aye, Cap'n." he replied, with a chuckle.  "Come on, this bird is making us all claustrophobic.  Lets go find Zin, I have concerns little Orrie might be pushing him towards cardiac arrest..."
    "We're all too old for this."  Besh-ba added, with a sigh.

    That night, Besh-ba explained to Oriene that her parents wouldn't be coming back,  the same truth that she herself had been so unwilling to accept.  When the tears were done with, there were still difficult questions but, though she was reluctant to talk much about Entrope or the War, from then on the answers seemed easier to come by. 

    Besh-ba Valence would never again be that self-assured, unyielding Captain she once was but she knew in her heart, from now on, she would be there to look after her niece, and her crew.

    
"Nana Besh, where did my parents live?"
      "On Entrope, in the Querien Sub-Sector, Oriene."
      "Who killed them?"
      "Who knows for sure?  War is a messy business.  The Sword-World's were involved, and the Zhodani, but most of the fighting was done by other Entropians, and neither the Imperium or the Daryen prevented it.  These things are never as simple as they seem."
      "But...Why were they killed?"
      "Because... Because they chose to fight for what they believed in and were caught up in something bigger than themselves."
      "Aren't we meant to fight for what we believe?"
      "What we believe makes us who we are Oriene, but its impossible to stay the same for ever, change will always happen.  Better you choose how you change than have the choice made for you. 
      "Why haven't you got the bad men who killed my mummy and daddy, Nana?"
       "When you're old enough, If you want to fight against the Sword-worlds, thats your choice to make but, Orrie, vengence is a sad and empty way to spend your life.  Dangerous too.  If you want to help your brothers and sisters and make your parents proud, there are many different ways to fight for Eris.  We all do it every day on this ship!"
       "I like helping you Nana Besh, its fun!"
        "I'm glad, Oriene..."
       "I wish Daddy could see me fly the 'Dreams..."
       ....
       "I do too sweetie, I do too..."