Page 27

Tanin

“ C ertification complete. Registering now .”

“I’m still not sure about this,” Goldie said, frowning.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Garnet laughed, nudging her. “What’s the difference between a person and a dog really anyway?”

“A lot, actually.”

“It’s just for legal reasons,” Tanin assured her again. “You won’t be held to any professional standard. And as your employer, I have no complaints about your work. Your only patients will be the crew, and they won’t complain either.”

“I mean, yeah, but still…”

Goldie continued to look uncertain. It was both rather endearing and annoying, in its way.

Tanin needed access to standardized human scans. If he was going to do a proper, in depth analysis of their bodies in search of a tracker, his mediring needed their biology uploaded. But he needed a registered medical officer to request them, or they wouldn’t be delivered. Humans were protected, as was the information regarding them. If he were a normal sponsor, he would have an actual, credentialed medical personnel to bring them to who would do the requesting.

But he didn’t.

The closest thing he had was Goldie. She’d already taken the unofficial position anyway. She was the one who bandaged both Garnet and Rok, sealing the latter’s wound with the mediring’s automatic skin healing function. She might not be able to fix all the bone and ligament damage yet, Rok would need to use a professional for that, but she could at least close the skin. She had organized all the medicine out of their boxes. And Alred told him she was poking around the scanner, trying to learn it without breaking the thing – though at this point, it wouldn’t make much of a difference since they rarely used it anyway.

As far as Tanin was concerned, it was already done. Even if she only knew Earth animal medicine, that was still more than the rest of them. Rik-Vane wasn’t much concerned with medicine or healing. Oh, sure, there were people there with those skills, but they were very quickly subsumed into gangs to work for them, or they were mad scientists in their own right and were as likely to remove your hand as fix it if they got ahold of you.

In order to make things official, Alred was doing a few tricks. He couldn’t get human scans without being flagged. There just weren’t enough people getting those scans to hide Alred sneaking them without permission.

However, there were hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people becoming certified healers all over the Coalition. New healers getting their first cert, old healers transferring their certs to work in new places, even healers getting recertified. It was much easier for Alred to fake credentials for Goldie to get her certification the ‘correct’ way.

Which he had just done.

And with her certs, she could be legally classified as the official medical officer of the Humility. Which made her the official healer for the humans who were part of the crew, including herself. And that meant that she had the right to request the human scans they needed.

Alred was doing all that work while they waited in medbay. Tanin didn’t know that he’d call it a quick process, but it was certainly faster than getting Goldie certified the proper way.

She would learn, he was sure. She was too interested in the topic to not at least try. And the more she learned, the more useful she would be to him.

Both of the females were excellent additions to his crew. The bridge hadn’t been this clean for as long as he had it. The rest of the ship looked better than ever too. Garnet might not be as specialized in her skillset as Goldie, but she was still useful.

And he enjoyed having her around. Tanin couldn’t recall ever feeling like this. Not just enjoying the environment he was in, but this strange sense of purpose that filled him.

He had to protect her. He had to make things better for her. She gave him not only a direction, but a motivation far beyond the need for survival that drove him before.

He liked the changes she was making. Not just in his ship, but also in him. And he was willing to do whatever it took to keep that, to keep her, safe.

Goldie might be uncomfortable lying about her certs – and he admired her sense of honor. But it was one he completely lacked. It was more important that he get those scans. A foolish sense of honor would only hold him back from his ultimate goal.

Protecting his female and securing their future.

“ Scans successfully downloaded, ” Alred said, popping up beside them, looking quite smug just in the way his light form was standing. “ Uploading to the scanner now. ”

“Great.” Garnet beamed, pushing her sister. “Goldie first.”

Goldie was still frowning, but she didn’t resist as Garnet moved her towards the scanner bed then helped her up. She laid down and, under Alred’s direction, the rings began moving over her. Much slower than they had done in the past.

Garnet returned to his side, smiling, giving him a look that didn’t fully hide her concern. She was acting upbeat and joyous, but he realized now that it was a falsehood for Goldie’s sake. No matter what, Garnet didn’t want her sister to worry.

“You two are very close,” Tanin said, speaking softly so that he didn’t interrupt Alred and Goldie – he was explaining to her what he was doing and everything he was scanning. She might not be very comfortable lying about her certs, but she certainly wasn’t passing up this opportunity to ask a lot of questions.

“We’re super close,” Garnet confirmed, smiling at her sister, something surprisingly bittersweet in her gaze. “We’ve always been close. Mom and dad used to say that when we were little, I was constantly reaching for Goldie. And when I learned to crawl, I was constantly on top of her.”

Tanin couldn’t help but grin. He found he wasn’t opposed to the idea of tiny little younglings crawling about.

But then he realized what thought he just had, and his grin dropped.

“Of course, my parents didn’t consider that a good thing,” Garnet continued, not realizing the sudden rush of disbelief going through him. “The way they told it, I was constantly trying to smother Goldie or crush her. If you heard them tell it, I was a little baby serial killer out to commit baby murder.”

Tanin frowned. “You’ve told me this before. That your parents did not love you as they did your sister. It started so young?”

“From the first ultrasound, really,” Garnet laughed, but there wasn’t much humor in the sound. “Twin B was the bane of their existence. Growing up, I was the family’s personal scapegoat whenever anything went wrong. They were constantly yelling at me and putting me down and treating me like I was unwanted. Which, I mean, I guess I was.”

“I’m surprised,” he confessed. “I don’t see you as the type to tolerate such treatment. You’re so very outspoken.”

“I am now . I wasn’t always. When we were little, Goldie stood up for me. She protected me from my parents. Sometimes, very literally by throwing herself between us. I really think that the only reason I’m alive today is because of Goldie. I might not have been strong enough to survive adolescence without her. My parents spent years tearing me down, but she’s the one who always built me back up again. I love Goldie. More than anything. Whatever she wants, that’s what I want too. We’re together forever. No matter what.”

Tanin already figured that. It was why he was mentally making a place for both females in his head. A future where they both fit. Garnet wasn’t half a person, but she was eternally and inextricably linked to this other person. If he wanted her, he had to have Goldie with him as well.

“I don’t hide behind her anymore,” Garnet continued, giving him a determined grin. “I stand in front of her now. And I always will. This guy isn’t just coming after me. He’s coming after my sister too. He doesn’t see a difference between us. But if he only takes one, I got to tell you, I’m willing to give up myself if it means protecting her.”

Tanin understood what she was saying. She wasn’t just impressing upon him how much she loved Goldie. She was warning him. If it came to it, she absolutely would sacrifice herself for Goldie’s safety.

“Go ahead,” he told her calmly.

She cocked her head curiously. “You’re not going to discourage me?”

“Not at all. She means that much to you, that you’d be willing to trade your life for hers. Do it. If it comes to that. Make that trade. I’ll deal with everything else.”

Her head came back up and she gave him a searching look. “And what if I get the chance to kill him? Am I allowed to take it?”

“Not without my permission.”

“Do I have your permission?”

“Only if you or Goldie are in imminent and immediate danger.”

“What if I do it anyway?”

It was his turn to give her a long, searching look. “You would disobey me?”

Her chin went up. “What if I did?”

“You will not.”

“But if I did?”

He leaned in close, putting his lips to her ear. “Then, I will deal with it. And once I have, you will be punished. And I will re-teach you the rules.”

She was shivering again. Her eyes flashing with desire as he stood straight. Approval filling his gaze as he looked at her.

Yes. The hesitancy had faded. She was open to him. Then-

“ Done, captain, ” Alred spoke up, interjecting.

Tanin looked back their way as Goldie was sitting up on the side of the scanner bed. “Well? What did you find?”

“ Goldie possesses all of her adult teeth, including the set that humans typically have removed. She also has an uncommon but not rare or harmful variation of the arteries branching off her aorta. But I still do not detect a tracker. Garnet, if you would lie down so we could check you? ”

She nodded eagerly and the females swapped places. Garnet laid down on the scanner and, to Tanin’s surprise, Goldie came to stand beside him. He gave her a quick look as Alred took Garnet through the same slow scan. Checking every part of her thoroughly.

And, to Tanin’s surprise, he wasn’t quite comfortable with it.

He was reminded, suddenly, that Alred was still a male. More than that, he was a male that had an interest in a female that looked exactly like Garnet. And now, he was getting a look at every part of her, from the skin down. Everything.

No, Tanin did not like that at all.

“So serious.”

His gaze darted only briefly to Goldie who was grinning at him knowingly. He didn’t need to ask for clarification as to what she meant.

“She’s a big softie, you know,” she continued, her voice laced with affection. “She acts tough and like things don’t bother her, but I know they do. Even when she tries to hide it from me. I sometimes go with it, because it makes her feel better to think it makes me feel better.”

Tanin made a sound in his throat. One of amusement with a hint of incredulity. “It seems like a rather long way to go about comforting each other.”

“A little.” Goldie admitted with a shrug. “But that’s just what happens when you love someone. You do anything for them. Even lie. Even pretend to believe a lie. I suppose, someone like you wouldn’t really know anything about that, huh?”

Tanin gave her a brief glance again, a smirk pulling at his lips. “You really aren’t like your sister.”

She was twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. “People see the pink and the cutesy smile and assume that I am also pink and cutesy. They don’t realize she’s actually the soft one. I’m the direct one. You’re a ruthless male.”

“I’m aware.”

“You have this no killing rule because you’ve killed before.”

He didn’t respond verbally, but he tilted his head. It was as much of an admission as she was going to get out of him.

“I figured,” she chuckled, twisting her fingers together behind her back. “Truth be told, I don’t really care. Yours was a hard, loveless life where you had to fight for everything. You probably don’t even know what it means to comfort someone.”

“Not really, no. I admit though, this is a rather refreshing take from you.”

“I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

“For what?”

“For when I threaten you.” She leaned forward, purposefully putting herself into his peripheral view so he could be sure not to miss her. “I’ve seen the way my sister looks at you. I know she’s interested. And I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking back. You’re interested too.”

“Is this the part where you tell me that your sister is too good for me and if I was smart, I’d back off and leave her alone?”

Goldie giggled. And it was such a sweet sound. So completely at odds with her hard words, which were already at odds with the sweet, cutesy image she projected. And he wondered how much that image was practiced and purposeful.

“No. I wouldn’t do that. I mean, you don’t deserve my sister. But very few people ever would. So, if she’s chosen you, I’m not going to kick up a stink about it. However, I will tell you that I’ve culled many animals before. It’s part of the whole vet gig. If you want to work with animals, you have to be willing to put them down if it will ease their suffering. Or, sometimes, just because their owner says they want you to. You have to be a little heartless. A little ruthless. And in my eyes, you’re not a human. You’re an animal that walks on two legs. Culling you wouldn’t be any different than putting down a rabid dog.”

Tanin chuckled. “You might find it a bit harder than that.”

“You sure?” She beamed. “I can be pretty wily when I want to be. You wouldn’t even see me coming. And if I have to protect my sister, you can bet you definitely won’t.”

Tanin’s grin turned down. “You really think I would harm her?”

She shrugged. “I’ve seen nicer people do worse. My parents were bright, upstanding members of society. They participated in bake sales. They organized neighborhood street parties. They were the best of people. And one time they threw a fire poker at my sister because we were playing outside and she pushed me down. That’s what the best of people can do. You’re not the best of people.”

“I certainly am not,” he agreed. “But if I wanted to hurt Garnet, or you for that matter, it wouldn’t be sloppily in a fit of rage.”

“No. And if I wanted to kill you because I thought you were hurting my sister, it wouldn’t be obvious and in your face.”

Tanin inclined his head. “I think we’ve come to an understanding then.”

Goldie beamed. “I think so. For what it’s worth, if I thought you were a threat to my sister, you wouldn’t be getting the warning.”

“For what it’s worth, I won’t harm your sister. If you’re willing to take the word of someone who is the worst of people.”

“Funny enough,” she grinned. “I think I’d be more inclined to believe you than the best anyway. At least you’re upfront with things.”

“I am going to claim her.”

“Permanently?”

“Most likely.”

“Suppose I should start calling you my brother then.”

He grimaced. “Please, don’t.”

Goldie laughed. “Better get used to it, big bro. If you’re with my sister, permanently, you and I are family.”

“I’ll take that trade.”

Goldie was smiling. And he thought that maybe she approved.

Good. Because he was just about at the end of his patience. And Garnet, who was giving him a sweet smile as she sat up in the bed, was ready.

“ Sorry, captain, ” Alred said with a frustrated huff. “ I still can’t detect a tracker on her either. ”

Tanin nodded his head once, accepting the answer. “Then, let’s help the others. We still have an entire ship to search.”