The 13th Star: An Action Adventure Sci-F Apocalyptic Novel by Adam Peled Page A

on their way home already. Nowadays, shouts could still be heard for a long time after the Ingram fired.
    At the end of his second weekend on Falcon, Rettoul offered to take Golli, Reine’s eldest son, so the married couple could
     enjoy themselves. Since his arrival he’d heard them constantly say that raising children robbed them of so much energy that
     they couldn’t go out as before. Golli saw Rettoul as a hero who had defeated the worst enemy of all, Zoron. Rettoul smiled
     every time the child said this with an air of respect and great admiration, and continued in his child’s voice: “Teach me
     a little! Teach me how to hit the hardest, but without it hurting!”
    Rettoul complied. “Make a fist with your right hand and hold it up to your eyes. Thrust your left hand forward—not to punch,
     but to hide. Now kick me in the thigh with your right calf.” Little Golli did as his teacher said with a huge smile of happiness.
     But he didn’t laugh. He understood that what Rettoul was teaching him was important. He must not laugh. His expression amused
     Rettoul, who thoroughly enjoyed it. Since returning home, it was only Golli who filled his soul—the way Golli waited to see
     him, to hear him asking Rettoul to take care of him again, to visit them again, and he promised to be a good boy at school if only Rettoul came to visit. Reine and Tanya were happy for the help—and, more importantly, for
     the happiness in their son’s eyes.
    Rettoul understood that the little boy, who spent hours with him, was a reflection of himself. He’d lost his innocence, and
     since he returned, he had nothing to look forward to. Golli, on the other hand, who pestered his parents and Rettoul with
     sparkling eyes, was the mirror of his distracted soul . When Rettoul left the house, he remained empty and emptied. Little Golli, with his laughter and intense seriousness toward
     him, highlighted the fact that he was a foreigner on Falcon. He had no home here. This was just a way station.
    The hours of desolation returned him to Benaya’s letter, to Kantara, to the scars on his body. Rettoul was beside himself,
     and the loneliness didn’t help.
***
    On other planets, Rettoul’s friends also returned and discovered houses that were empty of people and content. None of them
     were able to find themselves. Some couldn’t even try to find their way home, as there was no planet to return to. The years they’d been gone away from home were critical ones for the galaxy.
    Understanding gradually dawned on them that Kantara, the tough mother base from which they sometimes sought to escape, could
     give them what they didn’t have—a home to return to.
***
    A new day dawned on Falcon. The streetlights suddenly winked out, accentuating the dirt and the remains of the delights of the completed weekend. Rettoul hadn’t slept, busy making preparations for his departure. Unlike the last time
     he left the planet , he had somewhere to go but nowhere to return to. His packed bags waited by the door.
    He hesitated a moment, thinking maybe he should leave someone a letter, a message. But he changed his mind. They’ll think
     I’ve been called for an urgent assignment, he believed. Neither did he care about dwelling under the wings of the glory of
     a war hero.
    The first shuttle of the day took him to Kantara. He had a few hours until the meeting with the chief of staff , Bar. He knew Bar didn’t typically devote any time to soldiers, yet he didn’t dwell on the possible reasons for the invitation.
     It was important for him to attend the meeting—that was enough for him.
    Rettoul arrived a few minutes before ten at the bar's office. Intense cold air from outside lingered in the foyer. For some
     reason, he thought the place would look like a war room, but the lobby was huge. At the far end sat a pleasant-seeming secretary.
     Pictures and medals adorned the walls and Rettoul smiled to himself. A foyer the size of a ballroom would be