Page 17

Chapter Nine

LACIE

After returning to the ship, it took Briar and ANDI both to remove the clamp that MeK had put on my jumpsuit.

Mornings are becoming so redundant that I’m simply going through the motions.

Sleep has become a distant memory as my mind won’t let me rest, and I have a feeling that when I finally crash, I’m going to sleep like the dead.

However , before leaving the bathroom, I check the button on the back of this jumpsuit twice before putting it on.

I’m not going through that scene with MeK again.

When I walk out of the bathroom, Briar is all smiles, humming to herself as she sits on the floor, braiding her long black hair.

“ Ugghhh , all your positivity is wearing on me this morning. Could you go back to being a grouch until you get your coffee?”

“ I’ve already had two cups while you were tossing and turning above me. ANDI was a doll this morning, and just as I stepped out of the bathroom, he had it ready for me in the replicator. He’s a male after my own heart.” Instantly , his small holo form appears in the mirror in front of her.

“ Mistress Briar , as much as I enjoy your attention, my affections lie elsewhere.”

“ Oh , I know ANDI , the Destroyer , aka Destiny , stole you before the rest of us had a chance. My heart will never survive the loss.”

“ Mistress , you jest.”

I shake my head, smiling as they continue back and forth.

When the buzzer goes off, we both head down the hall together.

Briar speaks to several of the guys on our way to the dropship.

Her bright blue eyes and dark hair seem to glow in the lights of the hallway.

She’s probably the only girl I know who could make these shapeless jumpsuits look cute, but I swear hers seems to fit differently than mine, as I feel like I’m always pulling mine out of my ass cheeks.

Carla and James are deep in conversation when I walk onto our ship, so I lean my head back and close my eyes.

My mind wanders about what could possibly happen to me today.

The ship lands, and as I walk down the ramp, my eyes devour the new colors the sky grants us this morning.

Even though these first few days have been one thing after another, there is no denying the beauty all around me.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s new and untouched or what, but I’ve snuck off several times simply to walk and explore the area around the new perimeter fence, which they are still in the process of putting up.

I was happy to see and hear that it’s only temporary, as I hate the feeling of always being caged in.

Continuing down the ramp with the others from the shuttle, I smile as James kisses Carla before turning toward the fields he and a few others have been working in.

Kira is already in the makeshift kitchen, stirring something in a bowl when we enter.

Noticing the dirty bowls scattered around, I immediately head toward the water cart.

As I pull it out and start loading the containers, her words stop me.

“ Good morning, Lacie . Oh , you don’t have to go get water today. Look over there.”

It takes me a moment to realize what I’m seeing. “ Is that a sink?”

“ Yes , isn’t it wonderful? It appears that MeK worked all night on this, and thanks to his efforts, we now have running water.

I was so excited that I hugged him before thinking about it, and I swear he couldn’t get away from me quickly enough.

It’s amazing how we take the little things for granted until they’re no longer available. ”

“ He did this by himself?”

“ Yup ! When I walked into the pavilion, I was startled to find him lying on the ground, rechecking the drainpipe. He told me that the sink would provide enough clean water to meet our needs in the kitchen and that it was even safe to drink and cook with, as he had installed a filtration system on the pipes coming into it. When I thanked him multiple times, I could tell it slightly embarrassed him as he whispered to himself before walking off.” She air quotes to me, ‘ water is too heavy for females to be carrying such a long distance.’

“ He does seem to simply walk away when he doesn’t want to answer or talk anymore.”

“ Lacie , how would you know that? Have you interacted with him much?”

“ Yeah , we’ve crossed paths several times now. I have a feeling he’s not impressed with us human girls at all. He’s been nothing but snarls and growls for the most part.”

“ From what DaR has told me, the culture on his home planet is very different from most in this universe. They’re still very strict about acceptable clothing and the roles their females play in everyday life.

It kind of reminded me of the olden days, when fathers in the family would sell their daughters to the highest bidder, or the old man who would improve their status in society.

His mother’s people all think marrying or mating for love is either foolish or not heard of.

Something about ‘companion contracts’ so it’s all a bunch of business arrangements. ”

“ Wow , that’s sad when you think about it. I mean, the odds of finding your one and only is rare in itself, but to look at it so clinically sucks.”

Walking over to the sink, I turn the water on and off, and suddenly my mind ponders whether I was the cause of this.

Quickly , I dismiss that idea. He might be the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, but that seems to end the moment he opens his mouth.

“ It was very kind of him to do this for us in the middle of so many projects.”

“ I thought so as well. All I can figure is that he didn’t want us lifting the water onto the cart and toting it back and forth to the creek. Who knows how the male mind works?”

Carla walks up laughing, “ That seems to be the truth no matter the species girls.”

Turning , I have to put my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming out loud when suddenly I’m face to chest with the Commander . “ Lord , you scared me half to death. Where did you come from?”

“ Be at ease, Lacie . I walked in while you were playing with the water, so it probably covered my footsteps. I have a question for you, would you have an issue with being reassigned? There is a young female who has been working with James that seems to be having an allergic reaction to the dust from the newly tilled field. When this was brought to my attention, I thought I would ask if this is something you would enjoy doing, as Kira has told me several times now that you seem to enjoy the aesthetics of your new world. Now , you would not have to stay if you do not enjoy the work as it is quite a bit more physical than this.”

“ I don’t mind a shovel if that’s what you’re worried about, and honestly, I’m more in the way here than helpful. When do you need me to go?” He looks away from me.

“ Kira , do you need Lacie at the moment?”

“ No , Carla and I can handle it right now, but make sure to send the other girl over before lunch. We get slammed quickly when everyone shows up.”

“ I will have Dawn report back here after Vedece checks her out.”

He motions for me to go ahead of him, but stops momentarily to kiss Kira on the forehead before following behind me.

The kitchen is on one side of the area and the fields on another, and at one point, I almost go on without the Commander as he is constantly being stopped for one thing or another.

The sound of banging catches my attention, and I find MeK in a newly cleared area, beating long pieces of metal into the ground, only to stop momentarily when he sees me walking with his father.

A soft touch on my back has me turning back to the Commander , who is looking at me differently. “ What , do I have a bug on me?”

“ No , I just noticed something that had not occurred to me, is all. Come , let us see if we can escape these distractions so that we might get some things done this rising.”

The banging starts up again, and I catch myself looking back, but the trees block MeK’s form. “ Commander , what is MeK working on in the tree line?”

“ That is the first dwelling location. The foundation to hold up their outer shells can be quite difficult to install, especially without the maintenance bots to help. Unfortunately , with only two planetside and their schedule full, MeK is having to do most of the manual work himself. My plans are to head his way to offer my assistance once I get you settled.”

“ I know the way to the fields. You don’t have to walk me over.”

“ I will see you there safely since the sensors are not fully operational yet, and you have to go through the wooded area to reach the fields. I know you have wandered around on your own as SCOUT has been monitoring the perimeter, but the moon still has a lot of unknowns, and even though I encourage your exploration, I urge you to do so with caution.”

All this time, especially at night when I can’t sleep, a million questions roll through my mind, and here I am in the perfect situation to ask them, only to come up blank.

The coolness of the tall trees all around seems to swallow us up just a few steps inside their domain, and my footsteps are noisy compared to the Commander’s massive form behind me.

Moments later, the fields appear sheltered in the middle of the trees we were just walking through.

I stand at the edge, looking at all that has been accomplished in such a short time.

James must have seen us as he gets up from the ground, motioning to the girl a few rows away.

His friendly smile makes me grin back as he approaches us.

“ Lacie dear, it was nice of you to switch with Dawn because the poor thing has been unwell and only getting worse these last couple of days.”