Page 43

Tanin

“C aptain Ikvar. To what do I owe the pleasure of this comm?”

The keeper on the other end glared at him through narrowed eyes. “ Where did you go so fast? ”

“Well, our station leave was rather ruined by your intrusion into our mating,” Tanin said calmly, giving him a hard look. “So, we figured we’d just start making our way to Hir-Fallow. We have an appointment for an upgrade to our subspace generator and shielding.”

“ Oh, really? ” Ikvar asked, disbelief dripping from his words.

“We do. You can even check. Had it for a while.”

“ Did you know that King Gissrn has gone missing? ”

Tanin cocked his head. “I thought you said you were having him watched? I think your keepers need some better training.”

“ I don’t mean missing from my keepers. I mean he’s missing . No one has heard from him in days. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? ”

Tanin held out his hands as if to show him they were empty of guilt. “I was either holed up with my female or stuck with you the entire time I was on Tin-Fallow. Unless you mean to suggest that he was in the room with me and Garnet – and I assure you, he was not . We’ve disconnected from Tin-Fallow and no one has met up with us since. Which I’m sure you know, since I have no doubt that you’re watching us too.”

Ikvar continued to give him a dull look. “ Tanin, answer the question. Did you have something to do with his disappearance? ”

“I didn't lay a hand on him,” Tanin assured him easily. “Don’t you think I would have dealt with him from the beginning if that was my intention? I’m sure I’m not his only enemy though. Why don’t you go check on them?”

“ Tanin, I swear on my ancestors, if I find out you had anything to do with this… ”

“You’re welcome to search my ship, if you like. Though, I do ask you make it quick. I don’t want to miss my upgrade appointment. That’s a pretty big fee, and I’ll have to wait longer to get a new one. I’m sure you understand.”

Ikvar’s three eyes narrowed on him. “ I’m watching you, Tanin. I mean it. You better not have done anything. Your freedom right now is extremely conditional on my good will. ”

“And I appreciate your faith in us,” Tanin inclined his head. “If I come across him or he bothers us again, I will, of course, let you know first. I promise.”

Ikvar didn't look at all convinced, but he eventually conceded and said, “ I will hold you to that. And I’ll be checking in now and then. ”

“Yes, Garnet and I have noticed your determination to keep an eye on us.”

“ I don’t mean on your mating. Though I will be checking on that. ” Ikvar held his head high. “ You lot are only free because I’m allowing it. Because I want to see if you can prove yourself. If your word is honorable. If you prove to be a problem, you are my problem to solve. And I will do so expeditiously. You are representing the entirety of Rik-Vane right now, whether you mean it or not. If that group of violent killers you have can change then… Well, we’ll see. ”

With that, the comm was cut.

Tanin frowned at the window that looked out into space where the holodisplay had been.

He was representing all of Rik-Vane now?

It made sense that his crew would look to him as an example for their future, but the entirety of that damn station? That wasn’t what Tanin meant to do when he set out. He honestly didn't care if anyone else ever made it out of there. He didn't want to be the vanguard of change for the lost and broken of the universe. When did he ever sign up for that?

He let out an irritated sigh, getting to his feet just as Alred appeared beside him.

“ Seems we have more oversight than we ever intended .”

“So it appears.” Tanin walked to the edge of the console, looking out over space.

“ That doesn’t bother you? ”

“Actually, it might prove to work in our favor. I’m confident we can hide anything we need to from Ikvar. But his tacit approval and supervision gives us a lot more legitimacy. I don’t think it was the good captain’s intention, but he has just given us more credibility and stability than ever before. In a way, he’s acting as our sponsor now. Maybe not financially, but if we ever run into problems in the future with our IDs, we can refer it back to him to deal with.”

Alred chuckled, coming to stand by his side. “ You would be one to find a way to benefit from this. ”

“Anything that gets us closer to our goal and maintains our freedom.”

“ You really are the best gamble I’ve made in all my recalls. ” Alred let out a humming sound of contentment. “ I’m glad I took a risk on you. ”

Tanin didn't respond to that. He was glad Alred took that risk as well. If he hadn’t reached out to Tanin that day all the way back then, who knows where Tanin would be now? It was possible he would still be living on Rik-Vane, maybe running a gang of his own. Probably not with any of the crew he had now, as he wouldn’t have sought them out without Alred’s recommendation. But it was also just as likely that he would be dead. Luck had just as much to play in his survival as skill.

But Alred had reached out, and Tanin had taken his own risk to accept his offer.

Much in the same way he accepted Garnet’s offer. Another risk of his that was turning out to be one of the best decisions he’d ever made.

“Where are the females?” He asked. Garnet slept with him in his room now, but even spending every night with her wasn’t enough. He wanted her near him all the time. He was considering buying her a new fleet of cleaning bots if it meant having more time with her.

“ The females are currently raiding the storage room. ”

“Raiding the…” Tanin frowned. “Why?”

“ They are nesting. ”

“What?”

“ Yes. Goldie read that Garnet should be nesting, so they’ve decided to start by figuring out what they have and what they might need going forward. ”

Tanin was only more confused. “Why would Garnet need to be nesting?”

“ Unfortunately, I have been sworn to secrecy, ” Alred said with no small amount of smugness. “ They threatened to cover my core in magnets if I talked. ”

“Magnets? Why magnets?”

“ I’m given to understand that Earth technology can still be susceptible to them. Isn’t that adorable? ”

“Yes, but your core isn’t susceptible to them.”

Alred laughed. “ Oh, but they were so fierce when they threatened me. I was afraid they’d try to smash my core next. So, I simply cannot tell. If you want to know, you’ll have to go ask your female yourself. My lips are sealed. ”

“You don’t have lips,” Tanin said, annoyed.

But Alred was already gone, his light form fading away dramatically as Alred chuckled.

The females were trying to find nesting supplies? Why would they…

Oh.

Tanin turned and threw himself down the open hatch into the bridge. Sway, stretching over by the navigation panel, looked over in surprise when he landed, but Tanin was already at the lift, heading down, before he could ask.

The storage room on the lowest floor was where they kept all their supplies and extra materials for anything they might need. Spare parts, extra nutrient powder, cleaning supplies, and many other things. There wasn’t, unfortunately, anything in there that would be suitable for a nesting female though. They didn't keep an abundance of blankets or pillows or any other soft things that a female would want for a nest.

Because females only nested for one reason.

When he came to a halt in front of the open storage room door, he was immediately hit with the sound of annoyed huffs.

“How can we not have any extra blankets?” Garnet was asking as she pushed aside a heavy bag containing the extra nutrient powder for the synthesizer.

Goldie, looking through a box of spare parts, shrugged and said, “I mean, we don’t really need them. Our rooms are warm enough.”

“So what?” Garnet stood straight and caught sight of him. “Tanin?”

He walked into the doorway. “Garnet. Is it true?”

She gasped, affronted. “Alred, you blabbed!”

“ I did not!” He protested from above. “ I inferred. There’s a difference. ”

“Not even!” Goldie stomped her foot before turning. “Are there magnets in here?”

“ I’ll never tell! ”

“I’m going to find some!” She grabbed a box and immediately started tearing through it as Alred mocked her, promising she’d never locate the dreaded things.

Tanin ignored the two of them, however. His focus was entirely on his mate as he approached her slowly, reaching to take her face in his hands.

“Garnet, is it true?” He repeated, softer this time.

She smiled leaning into his touch. “Yes. Goldie figured out how to get the scan to work. It’s official. I’m pregnant. I guess we really were gone from Earth longer than it seemed.”

He let out a low breath. It was such a simple little statement, but the implications drove every thought straight from his head.

Of course, he knew his female could be pregnant. He wasn’t even afraid of the idea of younglings. It was a new responsibility and a new set of tasks to complete. He could do it, he was sure.

But the actual reality of it, the weight of the truth, was stunning.

He leaned down, resting his forehead on hers. Taking a moment to just accept it. His mate was carrying his young. It felt so… final.

Not like it made his mating seem more real. Nothing felt more real or final than that. But the fact that he was out, that he had a female, that they were having a youngling, made his freedom, his escape, his life outside of that terrible place finally feel real.

Tanin wasn’t working towards a future. He was living it. Right here and now.

His eyes opened again, and he smiled at his female.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Nervous,” she admitted, smiling. “Excited. Goldie and I were looking up pregnancy symptoms for s’skree ladies. I’m going to want a nest.”

“You are.” He had also looked that up when it became a possibility. “But you’re not going to feel nesting instincts until the end of your pregnancy.”

“Oh, really?” She looked disappointed.

He stroked his hand back through her hair. “But if it makes you happy, you can start building your nest now.”

She beamed again. “It does make me happy!”

“We can buy you some proper nesting supplies at Hir-Fallow. They’ll have plenty at the shops there. And we’ll have all the time we need to look around while they’re upgrading the ship.”

She laughed, throwing her arms around his chest. He returned her embrace, kissing the top of her head as he ran his fingers up and down her back.

He had questions, and there was some concern. Humans could successfully carry and deliver hybrid younglings, but he didn't know if any humans had tried with a s’skree. There weren’t so many humans out there that every species could have had a chance of reproducing with them yet, and he didn't know if his species was one of them.

But it didn't really matter. He was used to being the first to do something. First to escape Rik-Vane. First to mate amongst his crew. Now, first to have a hybrid s’skree. He’d figure it out as he went along and address problems as he found or thought about them.

This was his female, his youngling, his future. A priceless treasure that he would use all of his power to protect, no matter what.