2 The Brennans

A house sits wedged in rock on B-612; a dead fishing planet on the outskirts of the Empire.

Imre's gaze flitted around the living room; memorising his father's months of careful curation from the table on which he was perched. His hands subconsciously caressed this centrepiece; a round table constructed from mecha-wire, decorated in amateur engravings. While Imre had sunk into the hammock chair in the corner of the living room, studying herb cultivation, his father and younger brother had worked on the table for three months. Even at the tender age of six, Harvey had shown remarkable concentration for extended lengths of time, straining his brain and eyes for what many considered a lowly profession. He followed closely behind his father's heels to learn where to throw the nets to acquire fish that contained pure mecha-ores, and then how to gut them accordingly to extract these ores in its whole. At the age of seven, Harvey displayed significant skill in identifying the useful ores for mecha construction; developed from countless hours sitting at the round table in the living room reading the many books strewn across its surface.

Imre remembered having to threaten his brother to eat, claiming he would throw Harvey's books and mecha-ores into the sea if he didn't eat three meals a day. And the little imp would immediately pull a pout and shower his older brother with flattery, "How could I miss out on Imre's delicious cooking!"; earning a rap on his head from their father who was sitting next to the window drawing mecha-wire from the ores extracted in the recent haul of fish.

But Harvey's interest didn't stop at their father's teachings; seeking knowledge beyond that of the preliminary stages of mecha-construction, his passion for mecha design fueled his determination to seek an apprenticeship with Adley Coulter; the woman credited for the practical use of mecha based materials in buildings. This application was previously deemed unsafe due to the brittle nature of materials that were made from mecha-ores mixed with other substances. But, using her profound understanding of mecha-ores born from centuries of knowledge passed down through the generations, Coulter had established a method to succeed where the certified engineers of the capital hadn't. She had furthered the age-old method of drawing wires from mecha-ores to produce hair-fine mecha-wires which were then combined into other substances through a complex process. Thus, the highly sought after and extremely expensive mecha-ores was able to be incorporated into residential and public structures through an economically viable technique; allowing for increased safety features and higher durability of buildings.

The Coulter family had resided on B-612, and in fact, occasionally interacted with Imre and Harvey's father when the men would meet by the sea to cast nets. But, the Coulter family had moved to B-427 for the higher living standards after their rise in wealth from selling Adley Coulter's design and the subsequent growing fame of her numerous other designs. For the sake of nostalgic feelings, Adley had agreed to meet with Harvey and assess his capabilities.

Imre had been twelve at the time of this event and could still recall the excitement and tension that radiated from his brother that morning. Serving him a calming fruit tea that he had personally grown and brewed, Imre then sat with Harvey at the doorstep of their small house. The comfortable silence broken occasionally by Harvey's sipping and their mother preparing the second-hand spacecraft for the trip to B-427. Harvey's usual fierce personality was subdued, the air that always seemed to vibrate around him had quieted. But if one were to look into his eyes, they would see them bright and glowing, ready to journey far beyond this little ore fishing planet.

From then on, at the age of eight, Harvey had been driven by their mother every day to B-427; studying under Adley Coulter to become a budding genius in mecha design. The tedious 90-minute journey between planets worth the profound teachings of a quirky intellectual and centuries of research passed down from the Coulter ancestors. The textbooks written by 'scholars' that never actually worked mecha-ores would never be able to teach him what he had learnt in those four years.

Imre's gaze stopped at the bookshelf next to his self-claimed hammock chair. The bottom shelf was occupied by Harvey's notes on mecha design, the middle shelf for his herb cultivation textbooks, and the top shelf for his mother's gardening guides. It had been his mother who had intrigued Imre to pursue herb cultivation as a profession; stemming from hours trailing and observing her in the garden. But her gardening books had long grown layers of dust. His father, who had cleaned the house every few days after work had stopped touching their mother's things, shortly before he left for the capital a year ago. There had been no arguing and shouting, throwing of dishes and cutlery or red-rimmed eyes in the morning. But Imre had sat down on the doorstep of their house with his father on the day before his departure for the capital, under a sky that loudly proclaimed its two moons, and saw the tears that washed his father's face. Imre had always been able to see and feel the changes in the environment around him; an ability he developed extensively to better his herb cultivation. But it had also made him more attune to the emotions of others. Imre had always known, despite possessing the image of a strong, buff man - something his sons didn't inherit - his father had always been very emotionally capable. And so Imre didn't say anything as his father cried for the loss of his love, or maybe he cried for his deliberate ignorance of the matter.

"Do you think it's natural for love to fade over time, Imre?"

"I think your and mother's love faded."

Theodore Brennan was surprised by Imre's answer for a moment but then smiled sadly. Theodore knew Imre had always been a quiet child and a little emotionally detached because of his Evolved trait, but it had also developed his comprehension of human emotions far too early.

"It seems to be a flaw of humanity. Always hoping that they will bump into their soulmate as they round the corner, and finally get the feeling of being complete. Love doesn't work like that, it's a relationship that both parties need to work for."

Theodore looked at his eldest son. Imre's dark hair that was mussed by the wind was pulled back from his face by the glasses on top of his head. He would say that this son looked very much like himself, but the features that made his own face look rough and stern became gentle and mild by Imre. His tender temperament had always fooled the aunts at the market to reveal their soft nurturing nature, while Harvey had always been able to summon their scolding and tempers of seasoned mothers.

"I think that the idea of Omegas has fostered this kind of thinking. The obsession with soulmates from centuries ago has become a close reality due to evolution. But people forget that your Omega that you feel a physical pull to is really only a calling to mate and produce the most advanced offspring for the survival of humanity."

Theodore coughed at this. His voice hoarse from crying.

"Imre, I think it's..." He didn't know how to reply to his son's words. "I'll think about what you said and reflect." Theodore felt like the roles of father and son had reversed and was regretful at how fast Imre had grown up.

"I'm going to check my luggage. Don't sleep too late." And so, patting his son's back, he left to go inside.

Theodore would never see the tears and clenched fist of the son he believed to be too mature. The anger in his eyes that would morph into dejection as he almost turned around to beg his father not to leave.

Imre and Harvey's father sent them money every fortnight from the capital. And their mother married Andreas Coulter six months after the divorce. Harvey continued to study with their now Aunt Adley and a chauffeur transported him to and from planets B-612 and B-427 every day. He had refused to live with their mother, so the brothers had lived in their empty house for a year before the recent events forced them to move to the capital.

Standing at the doorway of the living room, unsettled by the silence, Harvey cleared his throat. This prompted Imre to stop his reminiscing and pick up the bag near his feet and pack the books on the shelf and the various knick knacks made by Harvey.

"You don't have to bring those. I don't care much for them anyway."

"Good. I can sell them without a guilty conscience."

Harvey choked from his brother's reply.

"Are you going to sell the books as well?"

"How else do you think we can get some money?"

"But dad said that he's got everything organised for us."

"He's not going to have much money left after buying the new apartment that can house three people. The prices of everything at Garden are much higher and his salary alone won't be able to sustain us in the long term. Plus, school fees will be expensive and that's not including all the school supplies."

For the first time since the planet eviction, Harvey was scared. He looked down at his shoes and felt helpless. His breathing became erratic and heavy. Then, he felt his brother's warm hug and looked up to see Imre's lips pulled upwards into a small smile.

"I'm a little excited."

Harvey's eyes widened and smiled broadly. A hint of fire danced in his eyes.

"Me too."