บท 144: C: Swept Up

The Emperor actually told Rafaela stories about her mother without any hesitation. 

The descriptions of the girl who had taken on the job of a long distance scout didn't sound much like the woman who had almost joyously interacted with everyone whose path had crossed hers at SkyWater. And yet, there were also things that sounded so much like her mother, that they brought tears to Rafaela's eyes.

In return, the Emperor asked only for her own stories of her mother. The gigantic man would often nod or laugh, as though he too recognized the woman he had known in a different time and place through her words.

The strangeness of the literally larger than life ruler of an Empire that actually spanned five solar systems, who apparently lived in a nearly empty palace that he had built much of himself, was scattered away when Rafaela's family arrived.