Page 23 of Trove’s Purpose

“Sway, Grace. You two are getting supplies. I sent you the list already,” Tanin continued, sending them out one at a time. “Rok, you’re getting food supplies.”

“Aye, captain,” Rok grinned before leaving.

Finally, Tanin looked at Trove, and he realized, too late, that Chee was also there. That Tanin had summoned her there as he planned on sending her out as well.

“You two are in charge of getting whatever we need for the rec room and gym. Garnet and I will handle everything else.”

Chee, still standing far from Trove, made a face. “Can’t I just stay here? I’m sure Alred will watch me while everyone else is gone.”

“Nope,” Garnet declared, smiling, leaving no doubt who had made Tanin issue that order. “You should go together. Alred has his own job and updates to install. You should follow Trove.”

It was a thin excuse to get them together. Even Trove could see it. And he fully expected Chee to protest. He was going to agree with her as well. As much as he wanted to be around her, to learn more of her, to go off with her, he wouldn’t force his presence on her. Especially not after deliberately behaving in a way he knew she wouldn’t like. By offering her meaningless pleasure, he knew she would be driven from him. He’d done it purposefully, and it worked. He was even glad that he had gained that distance, as much as it hurt. She was too proper of a female, too expectant, to accept such shallow affections from her mate.

Which was why he was surprised when, with a long sigh of defeat, Chee said-

“Fine. Let’s go, Trove.”

“Have fun,” Garnet said from behind them, waving the two of them off as Trove followed her out the second loading door, into the docking tunnel.

The long, flexible tunnel was used to connect ships indirectly to the station. Using the tunnels allowed the station to connect more ships at once, since they didn’t need to fight for space. The dock entrances could be placed close together and the tunnels stretched and manipulated in whatever direction necessary to reach the ship. The gravity within the tunnels was often lower, allowing people to hop and partially float through as they made their way along through the various turns and drops towards the docking exit.

Trove was surprised by how well Chee handled the lower gravity. She moved within zero-gravity like she had been born to it. Easy and comfortable and quick. He had to work harder to keep up with her than he typically did with his human sisters.

When they came out onto the busy streets of Tsik-Voll, Chee turned and faced him expectantly. Once again, she was wearing baggy clothing that did nothing to flatter the large curve of her hips or brighten the color of her hair. She didn’t even offer him a smile.

So how was it that she was still the loveliest creature he had ever seen?

“Where are we going first?” She asked, not at all protesting about the assignment that, by all rights, she was not expected to fulfill.

“I have a list of things everyone wants,” he said. “But you know, you really don’t have to help me.”

She shrugged. “I’m here.”

“I also need to go shopping for myself. I don’t have any clothes besides these jumpsuits. And I need various supplies and toiletries… I’m really starting from nothing here. I’m sure that’s not something you want to be involved with.”

She waved away his concern. “It’s fine.”

Trove frowned. “Chee, I know you didn’t actually want to be here. Garnet made you.”

“True. But I don’t mind.” She shrugged. “They’re looking out for you. At least if I go along with this, I can tell everyone that I tried. So, let’s go. What are we getting first?”

Trove wanted to insist that she stay. Or, if she was determined not to go back to the ship, to let him get her an inn room for her to stay at instead. A place where she could just relax and wait until they took off again. Away from him.

But he wasn’t strong enough to force her away. That’s why he was relying on her to do it for him. For her to not like him and put distance between them. Her agreement, even while not altogether enthusiastic, was still not strong enough for him to deny her.

They were just shopping, after all. And maybe she would see while they were together that he really wasn’t a good enough mate for her.

He was trapped; she wasn’t. He could help her by getting her away.

Aside from weapons, Trove did tend to help with relaxation and fun. He’d been the one to get them workout equipment before, as well as the small, artificial shooting range – mostly so he could practice, but the others certainly used it enough. He kept the bar stocked, he got them a holoscreen for watching vids and listening to music, he kept them supplied with games. Trove wanted to enjoy their new life, and he knew he made the right decision in obtaining those things when his brothers used them as well.

Their lives were all about surviving. Getting out of Rik-Vane had been a daily, constant struggle. But by bringing those little things into it now that they were free, he felt like maybe they were also doing a little living too.

All of what he got before, however, was broken and destroyed when their last ship had blown up and there had been, unfortunately, nothing salvageable among the wreckage.

But by going with Chee, he was able to look around and start buying replacements. It would take a while to replace it all, but they could at least get started. Proper gym equipment was vital. It was a good way to keep them strong and burn their energy, but he was also able to get stuff that his sisters could use as well. Physical activity was important, especially when living on a starship, a place with finite space. It was easy to not move as much as necessary to keep themselves healthy.

In that way, having Chee was very helpful. He was able to get her opinion on the equipment that would be best for them. After that, he started looking for recreation. A new holoscreen, a new bar, a few bottles of liquor, some games. And, again, having Chee there made it easier to figure out what might be better for his human crewmates.