Page 30 of Sway’s Peace (Delivery Service #2)

They were being hired by a security team to transport a shipment of weapons.

It wasn’t a very difficult delivery and was almost not worth their fees.

They were a specialized delivery company.

They didn’t deliver any random thing. They charged a lot because they promised safe delivery over a quick one, but they were willing to deliver dangerous things to dangerous places.

And while, yes, crates of weapons could be considered dangerous, they were de-activated and not explosive, so most delivery companies would agree to take them no problem.

But the people they were delivering for, apparently, didn’t understand that concept. A weapon was dangerous, no matter what. Sway had seen a few people with that mindset. In his experience, they were those who had no experience with weapons.

That wasn’t his concern, however. Tanin was too honorable to blatantly rip off a guy paying them to get him home.

He wasn’t, however, so honorable that he wouldn’t take a fool’s credz when offered.

If this group was so afraid of pistols and guns and the like that they thought they needed to pay their larger fee, then they weren’t going to tell them otherwise.

Once that was done, they could deliver Loyalty back home.

And then they could figure out what to do with Grace.

Unlike Loyalty, she didn’t have a destination immediately in mind. She hadn’t, at all, been prepared for suddenly needing a new job and new home. The extra time she had while they were completing the other jobs was important for her to think and figure out her next steps.

It also meant that she’d be with them for a while.

And Sway wasn’t sure what he should do. How he was going to try to convince her to stay. He just knew that he now had a chance.

He didn’t want to end whatever they had. Not yet. Not before he could explore this powerful longing for her. He still found her charming and precious, despite everything. He would be glad to develop their relationship further if she wanted it. Wanted him.

But would she?

After seeing him do what he did, was there even a chance? Or was he taking on a fool’s mission right now?

Sway finished the initial calibration of the crystals, and the subspace generator was closed back up, the shielding replaced, and the hatch closed again.

He then returned to the bridge. The second half had to be done while they were out in the black, away from anything else that might interfere – the station, any space debris, asteroids, etc.

The station already had a designated area that was big and far enough away meant for precisely that purpose.

It was empty now, so Sway began by planning the route to fly there.

The subspace machine was used for swinging out of space, allowing them to cover impossible distances in practically no time.

But the engine was all that they needed if he was going sub-light speed.

It would take about a day to get to the area and finish the calibrations.

After that, they could move on to their next job. And now that their subspace generator was fully functional, they wouldn’t need to wait five days between each small swing. That meant finishing this job then taking Loyalty home wouldn’t take long.

Realistically, he only had a few days with Grace. He imagined she’d decide to return to Holotulle. It was probably the best place for her, if he was being honest with himself. She could properly start over there and get a new job – likely not with Uver Prime.

They still had a chance though. If she would still want to see him.

If she wasn’t frightened by how aggressive he had become.

Or if this entire incident hadn’t soured her feelings towards him entirely.

He couldn’t blame her if it did. But the very thought that he might have lost her hurt. Much more acutely than he expected.

“You’re thinking pretty hard.”

Sway, not even realizing he had been sitting, without moving, in his seat on the bridge for quite some time, started in surprise. His displays were open, his calculations and navigation commands just floating there, completely untouched as he stared at nothing.

He didn’t even hear Garnet come onto the bridge. She was leaning against the console, giving him that sweet, bright smile of hers. How long had she been there?

“Where’s Grace?” She asked when he remained silent.

“My room,” he answered immediately, wondering at the rush of warmth the answer brought. He really liked that she was there. In his space. Where she belonged. “She doesn’t want to cross paths with the dock crew, so she’ll stay there until we leave.”

Garnet nodded. “I’m going to go say hi. Bring her some food. Make sure she has what she needs.”

“Thank you,” he said genuinely. Garnet was a good female. She took care of people. No one asked her to do it. She just did. That made the actions much more meaningful.

“So.” Garnet gave him a long look. “You thinking about claiming her?”

Sway frowned. “I don’t know… I am afraid she saw an ugly side of me. I don’t think she was very comfortable with it.”

“Sway, I don’t really know how to tell you this, but, er, you and the guys… Well, I’m not going to say you only have ugly sides. But I will say that you came from a very ugly past.” Garnet’s voice was hedging. Cautious. She was trying not to be rude, but she didn’t need to dance around the truth.

“I’m a murderer,” Sway said simply, accepting the label without argument. “I killed and tortured a lot of people.”

“Yeah, that,” Garnet nodded quickly. “Now, I’m not saying that should stop you from getting a mate. That would be a lot hypocritical of me, since Tanin is no better than you.”

“He’s actually worse.”

“Yeah, he won’t give me details.”

“Nor will I. Our past does not need to touch you. Either of you.”

“That’s kind of my point right now,” she said, grimacing.

She held up her hands, like she was trying to hold back the instant denial she must know would be coming as she spoke.

“Look, I’m not saying she needs details.

You guys have bad pasts, and you don’t need to revisit them.

But if you’re going to stay with her, if you want to make this a permanent thing, she needs to know who you are. ”

Sway sat back in his chair, frowning. Crest pressed tight to his skull. “I’d… rather not.”

Garnet, however, continued to look uncomfortable.

“And I appreciate that. I really do. But if you want something permanent with her, she’s going to have to know eventually.

She deserves to know you. All of you. She doesn’t need details, but she does need the truth. Otherwise, that’s entrapment. I think.”

Sway didn’t respond immediately. He continued to frown as he stared at his displays without seeing the numbers and diagrams running across them.

The truth…

That was not something he wanted Grace to ever know about. Sway had left his old life, his old name, back on Rik-Vane. He was a new male now. Someone that wanted nothing to do with who he had been before. He had no attachment to that person, so why bring it up at all?

But Garnet was human too. She would know better than him what human females needed.

If that was absolute truth from their males, then he couldn’t really argue with her.

It wasn’t like Sway wanted to lie to Grace either, he just didn’t want to lose all the progress he’d made towards becoming a peaceful pacifist.

And, if he was being honest, he didn’t want the way Grace looked at him to change.

He didn’t want her to be afraid of him. To hate him.

Sway still wanted to be a good, noble, farasie.

He was trying to live that way now as he couldn’t before.

He could be that in Grace’s eyes. He could be everything he wanted with no baggage from his past.

However, the way Garnet was wearing an expression filled with caution. A silent warning that keeping secrets was, at times, no better than lying.

Sway desperately didn’t want Grace to know, didn’t want her feelings about him to change.

But Garnet and Goldie both knew the truth about the crew. They were aware of their pasts, at least in the broad strokes. They knew where they came from and the fact that they were all monsters and murderers – without even feeling shame for it.

Despite knowing that, they both still treated them like friends. Garnet even mated Tanin! It was very possible. A farasie female would never forgive Sway his past, but human females were clearly more open and accepting.

“I will tell her,” Sway finally said, his voice soft but determined.

Garnet smiled. “Thanks. You won’t regret it. Just ease into it, okay? This isn’t a bandage you have to rip off. Let her know gently in your own time.”

“Gently. Right.” That was a harsh truth to reveal, even gently.

“But don’t wait too long either. Because then she’ll think you were deliberately concealing it to trap her with you, and that will be just as bad.”

Sway’s crest, which had just been starting to relax, tightened back against his skull. Tell her gently, but quickly. That was even harder.

“Don’t overthink it,” Garnet said, smiling. “Just do whatever feels right. Follow your heart.”

“Right.” He nodded once, sitting up again. He could do that. Maybe. “Thank you for your advice, Garnet.”

“Of course!” She beamed. “The only thing I want is for my boys to all be happy. You’re honestly the least problematic of all these knuckleheads. I have faith we can get you happily settled with your girl. Then, you can get her knocked up, and my baby will have playmates!”

She patted her still flat stomach with a wicked giggle. Like she was maniacally plotting to get him mated and settled like herself and the captain.

It was… not an altogether unpleasant thought.

Younglings were a bit of a stretch. Sway wasn’t sure he deserved to have young.

If he really was as defective of a farasie as he suspected, then it would probably be best not to pass on any of his genes to future generations.

Besides, any young of his – hybrid or natural – would have to contend with the shame of having him as a father.

But a female? One who understood and accepted his past the way Garnet did for Tanin? Maybe he could have that. That would be good enough.

Garnet was puttering around the bridge now, her cleaning robot – Spot the bot – following her around as she picked up after Sway. He winced when he saw her doing it, reminded harshly of how his room looked when Grace arrived.

He stood, turning to help Garnet. He would change that part of himself. He could be tidy and neat. If nothing else, he could make that true. Grace deserved at least that much.