“We didn’t, but I am not surprised,” said Trinity.
“We are all concerned because we don’t know how widespread this Mesaarkan infiltration has become, ” Raven added.
“I am not worried that Zaya can’t take care of her ranch while I’m on duty. I am concerned that she would have no protection while I am away. She was taken from her garden right beside the house and tortured for months by a sadistic Mesaarkan invader.”
“It would certainly make no sense for one of us to stay and protect Zaya while you are on duty when we are already short of protectors, ” said Raven.
“You should not risk it. If you are needed on duty, your mate’s protection must be assured,” Trinity agreed.
“The worst part is we don’t know who to trust. It was human men who kidnapped and then sold me to the Mesaarkans. I’d lived here my whole life until that day, and no one ever bothered me here,” Zaya added. “Steele, can they make you return to duty? Will they punish you if you don’t?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you here alone. Lieutenant Hawk has already approved open-ended leave, meaning as much as I need. If I am truly needed, you have the tools to protect yourself,” I assured her. No one could force me to risk my mate, not even Cyborg Command. I reached for Zaya’s hand to reassure her.
We finished breakfast while Raven and Trinity talked about what had been happening in Gretchen, where our headquarters was located. Other than the Mesaarkan’s shuttle sightings, nothing unusual happened.
“That’s good because now that you’ve brought me my sky cycle, I’d like to bring Zaya to town to meet the rest of our team and introduce her to the couple of storekeepers who might be interested in trading for her soaps, eggs, and produce.”
Zaya smiled, squeezing my hand. “That would be nice. I haven’t been to Gretchen since last year. That’s a long walk, and I wasn’t able to carry very much since I haven’t had a horse for several years.”
“Do you want a horse?” I asked.
“I’ve missed the horse, but mostly when I was thinking about going to town. With your sky cycle, I should not need one.”
“Love, it doesn’t matter whether you need it. If you wish to have a horse, I will find you one.”
Zaya nodded. “I appreciate the offer; let me think about it.”
Once we had finished breakfast, Zaya and I showed Raven and Trinity around the ranch and talked about possibilities. My next large project would be the heating system, which meant running a pipeline from the gas well to power our combination heating and power system. I had located the equipment and supplies necessary to do the job and estimated that it would take a few days.
Zaya and I also talked about expanding the crops on her ranch starting in the spring. Because of her limited resources and thoseof her ancestors, the ranch had reverted to a subsistence farm. Zaya was only using a couple of acres on her ranch of over a thousand acres.
Chapter Eleven
Zaya
After Trinity and Raven left, Steele took me over to his sky cycle to explain how it worked. It was a small, narrow machine with two seats. The driver sat in front, and the passenger sat behind. Steele told me what powered it, but I didn’t understand that. In all honesty, I knew very little about machines.
It was a hybrid vehicle based on a motorcycle and a two-passenger water jet ski. The craft could hover near the ground like an old-style wheeled vehicle but gave a far less bumpy ride. It also had retractable wings in a retractable cockpit that enabled it to fly like a small jet plane.
“Come on, let’s go for a ride.” Steele held out his hand and helped me onto the passenger seat. He swung his leg over the front and took the seat in front of me.
He started slowly, and we cruised across the field beyond the barn on a tour of my ranch lands. Although we were not going fast, it seemed like we were the way the wind blew in my face and through my hair. It was fun sitting behind him, holding on around his waist and pressing against his back. That day, I saw parts of my ranch that I hadn’t seen in years.
Steele had been doing some research and suggested one field where we could plant wheat, another dry beans, and in another field potatoes for a start. “That new machine in the barn is a mini-combine that can plant and harvest fields bigger than these. It can plant and weed your kitchen garden, too.”
“Then what would I do?” I asked, trying to imagine. “I’ve spent my whole life working just to survive. When I wasn’t planting, harvesting, and preserving, I was chopping wood for the winter.”
“You would have more time to make your soaps, and you have your tablet. We can look at the possibilities together.”
“I like that idea. I am so glad you found me. While I do appreciate my alone time, there have been times when I was profoundly lonely. Winter was especially hard.”
“It should be a lot better this winter with heat and power that doesn’t require chopping wood. And I will keep you warm,” he said with a touch of humor in his voice.
“There is a place called Store in Gretchen where I sold soap before. I have some stockpiled. Would you take me to town so that I could trade it there?”
“I can and will. Can we do it in three or four days so I can run the pipe and set up the heat and powersystem? ” Steele said. “While we are in town, I will take you out to the barracks to meet the rest of my team and Sergeant Rowe.”
“That would be great.” I hugged him from behind, and we headed back to the house.
