Page 22

Garnet

T he next station on the bunny trail they were hopping towards Hir-Fallow – their ultimate destination – was called Rin-Kal. It was also they were delivering that statuette they picked up on Hon-Kal. There were no pirate attacks or anything on the way, making her wonder why they’d paid extra for Tanin to transport it. When she asked him, he told her that some people were just like that. They saw the extra security, saw the higher cost, and assumed that they needed it, even if they really didn’t. And Tanin wasn’t the type to turn down money that others were offering.

He was a savvy businessman, not a generous one.

Rin-Kal was a pretty standard space station. It orbited around what Tanin called free floating space junk. It was a hunk of rock that was just cruising mindlessly through space, not connected to any sun or solar system. But it was full of precious minerals, so it hosted a pretty extensive mining colony.

And that mining colony was connected to Rin-Kal. That meant that Rin-Kal serviced all the miners and their families as well as the ships that passed through. It wasn’t just a shopping hub like Hon-Kal; it had restaurants, businesses, parks, entertainment areas. It was a full-blown city in the shape of a long rectangle. One big boulevard with businesses, homes, and smaller side streets all branching off of it. The ships that came by docked on one side, while the other side was connected through tunnels to the mining business and quarters – a secondary building that looked more like a series of intersecting cubes that was right next to Rin-Kal. They looked like one and the same building at first, but Tanin told her that they were, in fact, two different things. Like two different cities abutting each other.

Sway and Alred were dealing with port costs and connecting to the docking bay as Tanin gave the package over to Rok down in stowage. Everyone had gathered there. Not for the package. Rok would be making the delivery on his own. Rin-Kal was a pretty middle-class station, and as such, it wasn’t so dangerous that he’d need the twins to tail him. Especially since the box was going to the male who owned the mining colony, and he lived in the best part of the station.

Rok was the largest male on the ship. An absolute behemoth who made the box with the statuette look like a little thing of candy in two of his four big hands. He cradled the package to his chest with his upper arms, his lower ones still free to interact and protect himself.

Everyone else was there because, aside from Sway and Alred, they were all going onto the station. Not for business though. It was a chance to get off the ship and get some station leave. The others still had to sell the gems they’d stolen from Gissrn, and this was as good a place to offload some as any. After Rok delivered his package, he was also free to do as he wished. They didn’t have to be back on the ship for a day or two since the generators needed time to recharge anyway.

Vytln was even there. Garnet only ever saw him if he was making his way between his workroom and bedroom – and even that was rare. He spent most of his time in his workroom. Like Sway, he had to put in a lot of hours to keep the Humility running. But since the ship was just floating, set to auto-adjust to the station as needed, something Alred could do on his own – he could have the time off as well.

Garnet looked around at everyone curiously. At the different personalities and pasts and skills of the people all gathered in that one room. They were an eclectic bunch. And looking at them just standing around together was kind of weird.

They weren’t joking around with each other. They weren’t jostling or horse playing like she expected a group of guy friends to do. There was distinct space between each of them. A carefully maintained distance that was at once polite and, somehow, also very intimate.

Because as close as they weren’t , there was still a strange level of comfort to it. Sorbet and Tebros were the only two near enough to touch each other, but the others all maintained that careful distance. But it wasn’t one made of weariness or distrust. If anything, it was the opposite.

She had seen how Tanin and Trove and the twins acted when they were out in a station. When they were around people they didn’t know. That distance was not only bigger, but it was more tense. There was a stiffness to their bodies, a sharpness to their gaze, as they kept track of everything around them. They had to be on guard because they couldn’t trust anyone.

But here, when it was just them chilling around, getting ready to debark, that tension was gone. They weren’t cautious, they weren’t stiff. One of them would move, and the others didn’t immediately dart their gaze to him and stare. They just all stood there, comfortable in their distance.

As strange as it might seem, this was their closeness. This was absolute proof of how much they trusted each other. They might not play and joke around like normal guy friends, but they weren’t normal guys. This sense of calm ease was probably the highest form of intimacy they were capable of.

They had hard lives, and it made them hard people. That they could be this comfortable with each other was a blessing in and of itself.

That the same comfort extended to Garnet and Goldie was actually a huge compliment.

She wished she could do more for them. They were all taking such good care of her and her sister, and had been since they arrived, all the while fully welcoming them into their circle. She felt like they deserved more from her.

Cleaning Sway’s space was a start, and one she kept doing each day to make sure it never got as bad as it was before. But what could she do for the others?

“ Connection complete, ” Alred announced from overhead. “ You are free to depart. ”

Tanin inclined his head as the door to the tunnel opened.

Rok went ahead of the others, since he was the one who had a job to do. Work came first. When the client wasn’t sending them to do illegal things and breaking contracts, they took their work very seriously. Once he was out, the others started going as well.

Goldie and Garnet hooked arms, beaming at each other, as they went with Tanin. He was going to be taking them around. He didn’t want them exploring on their own yet. As their sponsor, he was responsible for their safety, and he took that very seriously.

Honestly, Garnet wasn’t sure what she wanted more. A nice girls’ day out with her sister, enjoying the fun of an alien city, sounded great. But so did a cool, space station date with her alien situationship. It wasn’t possible to do both at once, but this was the closest she could get to either.

“So, boss,” Goldie said, looking back at Tanin. “Do we have to wait for the sponsorship to be over before you let us wander around on our own?”

“Probably not that long,” he said calmly, staying behind them because he could keep them both in his sight that way. “Once you two know how to get around on your own, you won’t need me to accompany you everywhere. Unless it’s a station I don’t consider safe. And I won’t hear argument about it. If I say you don’t go alone, you’re not going alone.”

“Yes, boss,” they intoned at the same time, giggling before they looked ahead again.

Garnet wasn’t going to fight him. If he said no, then she was inclined to agree. She trusted his judgement of a situation far more than her own. At least, until she had enough experience in Coalition space to make that determination herself.

At the end of the tunnel, they stepped out onto an entrance platform. There were six different docking tubes that let out in the same area, only four of which were in use, including their own. The rest of the guys had already left, but she couldn’t see where they had gone. Trove had made some allusion to seeking some females for a good time, but she didn’t know what the rest were up to.

The area was much nicer than Hon-Kal. Where that place had an old, grungy sort of vibe, this place was bright and airy and open. She’d compare the two as an old, run down flea market to a well-loved, profitable, mall. Trees in plots dotted the street down the center. Their tall, orange and red leaves made it look like autumn, setting a warm glow over the area as they partially blocked the lights, trying to absorb as much as possible.

Shops and restaurants lined the road, all of them open and inviting like she was walking down a city outdoor shopping center. Hosts standing outside tempted people in. There were turn offs leading into short little cul-de-sacs every so often, but the single-level structure was very simple in comparison to Hon-Kal – to its benefit, she thought.

The layout was easier to understand, it would be impossible to get lost since it was practically a straight line the entire way down, and there were signs directing traffic to whatever they wanted. They were interactive as well, so people could touch them and search for what they wanted.

The people, too, seemed happier. They were a hardier bunch on average than Hon-Kal. She saw people that looked like they were from the same species as Rok, and a lot more that were equally muscular and tough. Miners, she realized. These were the miners and their families going out and about on their shopping trip for the day.

It really was like a mall. A thought that made Garnet smile as Goldie giggled, giving her a look that told her she’d just had the same realization.

“Where to?” Garnet asked, turning to her companions for the day.

Tanin glanced at her, then at Goldie. Silently saying it was up to them. He was just their escort. They were free to do what they wanted.

Garnet smiled at Goldie. Her sister pointed down towards the right.

“Let’s check that way!”

“Okay,” Garnet nodded, the two of them walking off. She didn’t have to look behind her; she knew that Tanin was following.

But she did it anyway, so she could give him a happy smile. He had his hands casually tucked in his pockets; his knuckle claws caught right on the hem. His red ribbon was in its neat little bow around his wrist. Always ready, and it wasn’t even obvious. She crinkled her nose at him before focusing forward as Goldie drew her attention to something.

The bazaar style of Hon-Kal had been incredible, but this was equally amazing. She hadn’t noticed at first, but there were arcades here! Games of chance and skill that tempted them inside for a while as they tried their hand at a few.

They weren’t in there long, however, before the smell of something sweet and warm drew them back out. Next door, they found a candy shop that made sculptures out of sugar that were adorable little pieces of artwork it seemed an absolute shame to eat. But when they did, they couldn’t regret it, because they tasted even better than they looked.

Next to that, there was a toy store that was fascinating just because of how different it was from human toy stores. But they still had stuffed animals, and Goldie walked out with a wolf looking stuffie – but it was blue with a big, golden ruff around its neck and long saber tooth fangs. She squeezed it happily as they continued down the streets.

They passed a couple restaurants and a salon that specialized in claw care, right next to a massage parlor that promised relief from aching muscles. Perfect advertisement for the weary miners who were wandering in and out. They both got distracted by the baby store a short way down. Tiny alien baby clothes, clawing toys, teething toys, pouncing toys. It was all adorable, and the little onesies came with optional tail holes, two or four arms, and wing holes made them squeal.

The two of them cooed over the adorable baby stuff while Tanin lingered nearby. The female working there asked if one of them were expecting, and Goldie told her that they both were, and they were competing for who had the prettiest baby because the best one would get Tanin’s love permanently while the other would have to settle for no father. The poor female looked horrified, but Goldie and Garnet were laughing uproariously as they left, Tanin trailing languidly behind them. When the salesfemale had looked at him, as though begging for him to deny it, he’d simply stated that only the best offspring would deserve him as a father.

They had to run out of there, laughing so hard Garnet had tears in her eyes. The fact that he said it with such a straight face only made it better.

They stopped for food afterwards. Garnet got a salad that somehow tasted exactly like beef. Like, cooked without spices, juicy, fatty steak. The sheer difference between the crunchy, pale-yellow leaves and the flavor drove her a bit crazy. Goldie ordered what she thought was fish but turned out to be a bird that was called a fish – it dove underwater frequently, earning the name. It was pretty good, but it tasted weirdly like grapes. Tanin ordered a bowl of super spicy noodles that were bright blue and burned her face terribly but tasted really good.

Garnet and Goldie tried everything; Tanin shared his food without complaint. Not that there was much to complain about since they both had about half a noddle before the sheer spice level made them cry, fanning their mouths, desperately drinking some kind of juice that was thick and rich, more like nectar than juice.

It was a lot of fun. The food was much better than the stuff produced by the synthesizer, even if everything was so odd and different.

They reached the end of the path to the right and began making their way back – stopping for one more piece of sugar glass art as they did so. There was a bar and dance club just past the docks, both of them still closed since it was early. All the space stations in Coalition space kept to Standard time, set to Holotulle’s time. Holotulle was the capital of the Coalition, and Standard time was based off of them. Planets would either use a modified Standard time or keep to their own, traditional time keeping system, but the stations matched Holotulle’s time so that they were all synced, regardless of how separated they were.

It was kind of cool, in a way. The stations were all separated by multiple light years, by entire galaxies in some cases. But it was morning on all of them now. There were an uncountable number of people all doing their morning shopping at this moment. It connected them, even despite the distance.

Past the bar and club, there were more stores. Some sold jewelry, others sold clothes, one sold sex – in a way that was subtle, but still clear. The sight surprised Garnet slightly, but that was only because she was used to brothels being illegal on Earth. She wouldn’t call it a trashy place either. It was nice and bright, like a tea parlor welcoming people of both genders, to be serviced by professionals of both genders as well.

As she passed, she saw Trove inside, laughing and tossing back drinks with three different females all lingering around him.

But they didn’t stop there. They kept moving on, window shopping everywhere, but only being drawn into a few of the buildings. They bought a couple more things – some clothes, a tool kit for Garnet, a pretty impressive first aid kit for Goldie, lots of snack foods so they didn’t have to rely solely on the synthesizer – before they found a place that sold cotton candy. Like legit cotton candy. It came in some interesting flavors, but the basic one was just plain old spun sugar. It was like a taste of home. Garnet couldn’t say that she missed Earth, not really. But it was nice that something so simple and familiar had a place even all the way out here.

As she pushed pieces of the treat past her lips, she looked over to Goldie who was eating hers – yellow, flavored after a berry neither of them recognized – with all apparent enjoyment. Her wolf-ish stuffie under one arm, a pretty ribbon in her hair, wearing a bright blue alien style dress that fit loosely around her form.

Goldie caught her eye and smiled at her. “What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“It hasn’t… like, hit you yet?” She grimaced. “I mean, leaving Earth? Your career…”

“My student loans?” Goldie laughed, nudging her playfully. “Are you still feeling bad about asking me to stay out here? Garnet, I’m having a great time. Do you know how much I’ve learned just moving around that medbay? The others in my class would kill to be where I am. Stop worrying so much. This is the best decision for us. Trust me. Would I lie to you?”

“You absolutely would if you thought it would spare my feelings.”

Goldie laughed. “Okay. Fair. I would. But I’m not this time. What about you? Are you regretting your decision yet?”

Garnet searched her sister’s face for a moment longer, assuring herself that she wasn’t lying, before breaking out in a wide smile. “I’m definitely not . I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun or was this stress free. Is it weird for me to say that I think being kidnapped was the absolute best thing that has ever happened to us?”

Goldie threw back her head, laughing. “The ultimate silver lining.”

“Lining? The whole damn cloud is shiny, sterling silver! I haven’t seen a single downside to this.”

“Right! And everyone is so nice.”

“The nicest!” Garnet couldn’t help but look back at Tanin. She half expected him to be rolling his eyes at their instance that everyone was sweet, but he was just staring back at her. His expression totally closed off. She shivered, enjoying it. Somehow, it was like he was stroking his hands over her skin without touching her at all.

“Wow. Look at that.”

Garnet turned forward, following Goldie’s finger. Ahead of them, standing out starkly against the blue-collar mall backdrop of the other stores, was a large, three-story building with four massive columns out front keeping up a large, marble stone roof. It was like a fancy bank had suddenly dropped into the middle of a small city shopping center. It was leagues more expensive and luxurious, with wide open doors, warm light pouring out from inside. It was totally out of place.

Even as they watched, Rok emerged from the main doors. His four arms were empty, and he had a small smile on his face as he took the long stairs down. Garnet realized that this was where the rich guy lived or worked. The one that had hired them to deliver the package.

He really wasn’t trying to hide it either.

Rok caught sight of them and abruptly changed directions to catch up. He smiled happily, though his shoulders remained hunched in as he approached slowly. Cautiously. Like he was afraid of moving too fast lest he scare them.

Rok was sweet. Though he was easily the biggest guy on the crew, he moved so carefully. He had to be stupid strong, considering his biceps were bigger than her head – all four of them – and as a result, he treated the world like it was made of glass.

To him, it probably was.

In the light, Garnet thought his black and teal scales were beautiful. The teal color really seemed to pop, his yellow eyes glinting joyfully. He was pretty handsome, but she didn’t think it would be proper to tell him that, so she just smiled brightly as he got close.

“Hey, big guy,” she greeted warmly as Goldie waved. Both of them on the same wavelength. Rok was just a sweet baby boy, and he needed tenderness and a kind hand.

“You shopping?” He asked, his voice deep and sonorous but happy.

“Yeah,” Goldie beamed, offering him her cotton candy. “Want some?”

He hesitated before using one of his lower arms to rip off a piece of the treat. He shoved it in his mouth with a smile and all apparent enjoyment. Garnet just wanted to give him a hug and tuck him in and tell him it was okay to stand tall and proud and not hunched over. He didn’t need to make himself small for anyone.

But for now, it was enough to give him a treat and see him enjoy it.

“Job done?” Tanin asked from behind them.

“Yes, captain,” Rok said, lifting his eyes, licking his fingers. “He was very careful when he inspected it, but he was pleased in the end.”

“Did you watch final payment get sent?”

“Yes, captain.”

“Good. You can enjoy yourself until it’s time to leave then.”

“Want to come with us?” Garnet piped up, eager to bring him along. She bet they could have even more fun with this absolute barge of a male trailing along.

Rok didn’t seem enthused though. He didn’t look unwilling either. Mostly, he just appeared confused as he looked at Tanin, as though seeking permission.

“You’re free to come,” Tanin said simply. “I’m letting the females go where they please and do as they like.”

Rok perked up. “I can do that. I can carry stuff too, if you want to buy things. I’m very strong.”

“Can you carry this then?” Goldie asked, holding out her wolf. Something she was more than capable of carrying, but it was clear she just wanted to make him feel useful since Tanin was already carrying their shopping bags.

And it worked. Rok took the stuffed animal with one hand, carefully curling it in towards his chest with the same seriousness he had given the priceless statuette he just delivered. Garnet had the sudden image of him cuddling a puppy, a tiny little licky thing jumping excitedly in his palm, and she dearly wanted to make that happen for him.

“Let’s go then,” Garnet beamed, hopping a bit as she pointed down the road. “We were heading that way. You hungry?”

“I’m always hungry,” he promised, using one of his other hands to pat his belly.

“Great!” Garnet beamed at the others. “Then lets-”

Pop!

A sudden rush of air, hot and acrid in Garnet’s throat, struck just as her vision abruptly turned gray. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear whatever obstruction had just blinded her, even as her eyes began burning and she started coughing.

Someone yelled out in warning. Goldie was beside her, coughing hard as well.

Smoke. There was smoke in the air. Searing her throat, making her eyes water, coating her lungs. It was a vile, sulfur smell, mixed with a combination of gunpowder and dust. Thick and heavy. She couldn’t see more than a few inches in front of her eyes – when she could even force them apart far enough to try to look around.

Someone grabbed her arm and started pulling. Tanin. Trying to get her out. She attempted to reach for him, but she still had the cotton candy in one hand, her smallest shopping bag in the other. She followed along without a fight though, eager to get away from the noxious smoke.

“Garnet!”

Tanin? He was yelling.

But his voice was in front of her.

“Garnet!” He called again. Further away.

If he was there, then who…

Garnet whipped around, trying to pull back against the heavy hand that held her arm. The smoke was swirling around in the air. Starting to slowly dissipate at the edges, where she now found herself. Pulled there by someone with black skin and five silver eyes.

A horribly familiar sight.

“No!” Garnet yelled, fear shooting straight through her as she brought her shopping bag up and around, aiming for his head.

He easily deflected the pathetic blow, ripping the bag straight from her hand and tossing it away. And now that she was no longer willingly going with him, his grip turned bruising as he grabbed for her with the other hand. Trying to cover her mouth before she could-

“Tan-!”

He succeeded, cutting off her shout for help and yanking her into his chest. His expression was cold and blank. He didn’t even seem bothered by her struggles as she dropped the cotton candy in favor of striking against him.

Nothing. It was like hitting a brick wall. Kicking did nothing but make her toe throb. She didn’t let his hand over her mouth stop her from yelling at him. Her muffled voice was completely unintelligible, but the vitriol pouring out of her didn’t need to be heard to be understood.

He whipped her around, hiding her from the view of the street. He kept her tight to his chest, using that one hand on her mouth to force her to stay there as he released her arm to reach for something on his belt. She didn’t know what it was, and she didn’t intend to find out.

With her other arm now free, she could grab her pretty new purple stun stick. She ripped it off her belt and, like Tanin had been teaching her, used her thigh to twist it on. She felt it beginning to warm in her hand as she stabbed it backwards.

This guy was clearly unprepared for her to be armed because he grunted, and his grip loosened. Just enough for her to yank her head free. She wasn’t fast enough to escape entirely, his fingers immediately clenching down, grabbing her by the hair.

But she was free enough to shout-

“TANIN!”

The guy yanked back on her hair, pulling her towards him. She turned so her back wasn’t facing him, her head bent forward thanks to the punishing grip he had on the strands.

He had something in his hand. A silver cannister that she didn’t consciously recognize, but made her belly seize in terror.

She didn’t know that thing, but some part of her recognized it. A part that hadn’t been capable of recording new memories after being hit with whatever was inside. A part that could put the familiar five eyed, black skinned male together with a situation she only remembered in flashes and sent a warning to the most primal part of her brain to be aware.

To be afraid.

To get away.

Garnet wasn’t feeling pain anymore. She was trying to strike him with her stun stick, but he was blocking it, using his forearm to catch her hand so that he wasn’t hit with the electrified part. She was only hurting herself, but so long as she was blocking him, he couldn’t spray that cloyingly sweet smelling thing in her face.

Because she knew it sprayed in her face. She knew what it did. She knew how it smelled. Even though she didn’t recognize it mentally, she knew .

When she tried to bring the stick down again, he struck back. So, it wasn’t just the force of her own blow but his as well. He crushed her fingers against the bat, and she swore she heard them crunch. The weapon slipped from her hands, hitting the ground with a thud.

Leaving her open to that thing.

“Tanin!” She screamed again, yanking against the hold he had on her hair. Pulling agonizingly at her scalp, but she didn’t really register the pain.

Get away. She had to get away! Whatever it cost!

“Tan-ugh!”

A particularly hard yank sent her sprawling against the shinuk male’s chest. And there, right there, was the silver canister. Pointed at her nose. Her breath caught as her stomach turned like she was about to be sick.

No. Please, no. Please-!

A flash of red, bright and bold and beautiful, filled her vision. A silken ribbon caught around his wrist, the trailing end weighted just enough that it could swing around the male’s arm and catch him. The same color as Tanin’s eyes.

Tanin had come for her.

She looked over just as Tanin pulled, yanking the unknown male’s hand – and his cannister – away from her face.

She’s never seen anything more beautiful, or more dangerous, in that moment. The dim shadows of the alley covered them, but the bright lights of the street struck Tanin from behind, casting his features in shadow, leaving only the red gleam of his sharp eyes. His quills were up, their harsh points a crown piercing the air from his head. He held the end of the ribbon tightly in one hand, the other tightened into a fist, his knuckle claws jutting forward.

The easy calm from the ship was gone. The stern alertness from the streets was gone. The easygoing stoic male was gone.

In his place was something darker. Something unfamiliar. A creature she’d only heard of. This was the male that had survived the most dangerous station in the universe. A grim shadow. A simple threat. Still so calm, but in the way a gun was calm right before it was fired. Cold and tense and poised.

The male who held her took a step back, unfortunately tugging her along with him. She grabbed his hand, trying to scratch at his wrist, for all the good it did her.

Tanin’s blood red eyes tightened.

That was the only warning before he pulled on his ribbon, tugging the other guy right back, keeping him from escaping. Tanin rushed forward, twisting the ribbon up his arm as he did so with impressively quick movements of his fingers and wrist, keeping the tension high. The only way the guy could get away was if he let go of Garnet.

He had to let go now, right?

He used Garnet’s hair like a leash, yanking her to the side, keeping her back, as he brought up his arm, defending himself against the first strike. Tanin’s fist struck his forearm, completely blocked-

But the guy roared in pain. Blood gushed forth. Tanin’s knuckle claws dug into the meat of his arm and down, gouging out four, deep gashes.

When the guy tried to pull away, Tanin used the ribbon to yank him right back. The guy dodged the second punch completely, but the third was aimed at the shoulder being used to hold Garnet.

He dropped back, refusing to release her still. The pain made her eyes water as she stumbled, falling to her knees. He brought his bloody arm up, clearly intending to strike Tanin in the face. But Tanin still had that ribbon and, with a tug, his fist was pulled off course.

Tanin pulled far, arm swinging all the way back, forcing the guy to fall into the elbow he slammed right into his nose with a sickening crunch.

That, finally , was what loosened the hold on her hair.

Before Garnet could even grasp that she was free, Tanin was there, grabbing her by the wrist. He turned, throwing her back with a surprising amount of force. Garnet cried out, sure she was about to hit the wall or the ground or-

-something warm and firm swept her up. Cradling her like a baby. She blinked, suddenly finding herself looking at Goldie and Rok. The big guy had her bundled in his left arms, Goldie in his right. And with her secured in place, he wasted no time in turning and bounding away, his footsteps loud like thunder as he ran.

Garnet turned back, looking over his huge shoulder. Just in time to see the dark shadow that was Tanin tangling with the unknown shinuk. Now that the guy wasn’t holding Garnet with one hand, he was holding his own. He managed to escape the ribbon, but his injured arm was mostly useless.

As she watched, the twins were just suddenly there, seeming to drop out of the shadows like they appeared out of thin air.

Then, Rok was too far away, and they were gone. She clung to him, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing so fast she couldn’t even think.

What was that? What just happened? And why!?