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I blinked. He spoke slowly and really enunciated all of his words. It seemed a bit like he’d practiced the speech, or as though he’d said it several times over and over again. I looked up at Mace who stared at Bill intently, one brow raised expectantly.
“And?” Mace said, prodding Bill verbally.
“If there is anything I can do for you during your stay here, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” He squeaked the last bit.
I rocked back on my feet. “Well, what’s done is done.” I grabbed my bag from him, and he sagged in relief. “Thank you for the apology.”
He nodded and then ran from the bar. Crew stared at Mace. “You terrified him. What did you do?”
“Nothing he didn’t deserve. I didn’t hurt him, if that’s what you’re asking. I reminded him his job is to take people on and off planet, and how easily we could find someone else for that position, should he fail to fulfill the expectations of his role. I also might have mentioned I didn’t find it at all amusing how he stranded a young woman here, and how any further infractions would be considered a failure to fulfill expectations.”
Crew laughed. “I’m surprised you didn’t have him get on his knees.”
Mace shrugged. “Could have, but I thought that might be a bit much. Do you need anything else, Raven?”
I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”
I didn’t have much, but enough clothing to wash it without having to be naked in between outfits.
Mace grinned. “Good. So, everyone volunteered to help. Gunnar is going to stay there until lunch, and then some of Grisham’s guys are going to take over. I’m not sure where Ransom went after, as I’m giving him some space, but I’m pretty sure he went with the group seeking out the stranger. Nothing popped up initially, so whoever he is, he must be good at this. I can’t even hear any extra heartbeats, can you?”
Was that possible? They could just count so many heartbeats? I supposed it made sense. Crew shook his head. “The exact number there should be, with the addition of Raven’s.”
Mace touched my arm. “Your heart rate sped up while we were talking. Does it bother you, knowing there’s a stranger around? Because I assure you, he’s not getting in here.”
I shook my head. “Truthfully, I think the idea that you can hear so well that you can count the heartbeats of an entire town horrified me. I’m always in awe of your power, even when the scope of it sounds scary. I wasn’t worried about the stranger, since I wouldn’t eat the flower if he offered it to me. I’m more worried about the children. How many do you have around here?”
Crew rubbed his face. “About a dozen. She makes a good point, Ransom,” he spoke to the man knowing he’d be able to hear him. “Assign some people to all of the kids. Thanks for that. I never think about families and kids. I need to. Sometimes, I think I’m not cut out for this.”
5
LAVENDER DAYS
“Seems like you’re pretty cut out for it,” I said as I stared at Crew. “I mean, you’ve led hundreds of men, right?”
Mace patted him on the arm. “He was a unit commander, so try thousands of men. That’s why so many followed him here. I think what my boy here is trying to say is he doesn’t like being in charge of women and children. Maybe even men who aren’t like us, but basically, he doesn’t care for looking out for those weaker than he is, right?”
Crew crossed to the bar and poured something like water into a glass. “I wouldn’t mind it at all, if things didn’t happen like they did today. I wish I could keep everyone safe, and I don’t only mean whatever sicko came here and poisoned a kid. That’s never happened before, and it never will again, because I’ll never let my guard down. Someone will be on heartbeat duty from now on, so we’ll have one former Super Soldier assigned to constantly count heartbeats. If the extra person didn’t come on Bill’s shuttle, they’ll need to be caught and interrogated.”
He wasn’t talking to me, but I followed along well enough to ask, “Does anyone want to fill me in on what other things you’d be worried about happening?”
“Oh, we didn’t tell you, did we? Sorry.” He winced. “We’ve all known each other so long, sometimes I forget to fill in others. Sorry. I’ll be sure to correct that. So, regular people die so easily—a piece of machinery falls on them, something blows up, a kid drowns. Short of having one of us standing over them at all times—which I don’t think anyone wants, because that’s just weird and unsettling for all parties involved—but, yes, without constant supervision, you guys are at so much risk all of the time.”
I put my hand on his arm. “I think everybody understands, as soon as they are old enough to do so, that we have a finite number of years. None of us have any idea what will actually take us out, and you can’t have some savior complex. You don’t really believe you’re responsible for our lives? Well, I say our, but I mean people like me, not counting myself. I’m a temporary visitor to your existence.”
He furrowed his brow for a second before it smoothed out again, then he shook his head. “If we can’t keep them safe, why would they have us here? Why would they let us stay?”
“Let you stay?” I gawked at him. Did he really think they existed by the good graces of those less powerful than him? “Crew, no one is making you leave anywhere. Few planets could stop you, honestly. Clarke took over our planet. He didn’t ask permission.”
Crew took my hand in his and squeezed. “Clarke sounds like a megalomaniac now. He was always off, and clearly time worsened his problems. We prefer to think of our place here as a partnership. We came onto their planet, and we share their land. We would leave if they wanted us to go. We don’t want to be treated like conquerors. We want to be part of their lives. When we were working for the company that made us, that was how I always imagined things could be—when I actually thought about changes I would like to make, that is, which wasn’t often.”
“I’m impressed you did at all. ” Mace laughed. “I never thought about anything more than the next fight we’d face. Sometimes I might’ve wondered whether or not the planet we were invading would have any good desserts.”
It wasn’t funny, but I couldn’t help but smile at the way he confessed to his sweet tooth. “Did they? Have good desserts?”
“Not as good as the ones I make now.” Mace winked. “Dessert is my specialty. Speaking of which, since you’re not working, would you like to come with me to acquire some ingredients for tonight? I thought you might enjoy the walk to the mountains.”
Actually, it seemed like a great idea, and I stretched up on my toes, flexing my calves. I wanted to move. “Sure.”
