Page 129 of Tempting Fate

“He is a noble. He never lived as we did. Never suffered as we did.”

“I was not a noble!” My shout rang out in the brief silence.

“Tokki said you lived in a fancy house,” one of the complainers said. “With fresh blue lawns, rich food to eat, not a wasteland surviving on vegetables and protein bars.”

I strode towards them. “All that is truth. And yet I was as much a prisoner as you. You think I was a noble? No, I lived in a trading enclave.” They likely would not understand the difference. “All of us were pariahs. And I was a pariah amongst pariahs. We were wealthy, yes. But at what social cost? Locked behind high, armoured gates. Reviled by society for associating with the galaxy yet simultaneously envied for our wealth and status.” The society I’d lived in made me sick.

I forced back a growl. That wealth had likely caused me permanent harm. Only the other day, the medic had told me I may never recover from my intermittent pain and fatigue—possibly due to the different nutrition I’d enjoyed and the way it had integrated the medication with my body. “I cannot pretend to know what you lived through, and it hurts me that you had to suffer it while I did not. But do not think that my life was any less of a cage than yours, that I do not bear my own scars. Do not think that because I grew up with my parents, I was fortunate.” I spat the last word.

A lump rose in my throat. Shohari. I’d had her. Though thanks to my parents and the way they had used me to control her, I’d lost my sister for too many years. “Not one day went by where I wasn’t reminded of my inadequacies, told that I was only valued for what I could bring or I would end up where you were.”

I looked at the mated pairs, the ones who had found each other before they’d even left Orith. “You at least had each other. I had no-one.”

A stunned silence met the end of my outburst—except for Imani. She moved towards me, a sad smile on her lips.

“Tokki, Daiytak. A word please.” I strode into the kitchen building without waiting to see if they followed, Imani by my side.

Tokki was the last to enter. He shut the door, sat at the central table, and activated the protection field. Purple light crackled over the walls and ceiling, shielding our conversation from external sources. “What is this about?”

“We have a plan,” I said as he sat down. “We are going to hide in the cave system here.”

Tokki stood, his chair scraping against the metal floor. “Of all the… I have hundreds, if not more than a thousand people to think about! I don’t have time for this.”

I looked to Daiytak, who shrugged. “It’s foolhardy at best.”

It could well be, but we had to try. “This might all be a moot point by the time you leave. Shohari will get the contract cancelled.” I rubbed my horns. She couldn’t get back to me soon enough. “But if there is still a problem, this will work long enough.” It had to.

“Move someone else into Airida’s hut,” Imani said, her voice calm but firm. “In case anyone is watching, I will visit them twice a day, we all refer to him with Airida’s name. Meanwhile he moves in to my room, maybe takes a temporary name. Then you make a big show of taking fake Airida with you on the carrier. They’ll have to follow. Meanwhile we slip away to the caves and stay there. Reskavi and his crew will watch the entrances.”

Tokki paced the length of the room. “I don’t like it.”

I did my best to match his commanding tone. “You don’t have to like it, just help us. I won’t go on the carrier. And you don’t need to worry about me on top of everything else, it’s only a matter of time before the contract is cancelled. I’m not spending a month in space.” Not spending a month without my mate.

Daiytak’s claws tapped on the table, rhythmic waves from little finger to thumb. “Whatever we decide, your information about Rokharu fei Sinla is good. His assistance might make or break this mission.”

The rescue mission. I didn’t allow myself to think on the fate of those still in the colonies that often; the reality of it was too upsetting. But the drive to help them burned in my soul. They all needed to get out—and Orith needed to change. With Rokharu’s intercession, it might become a reality.

“If you stay, assuming you are correct and the danger passes for you soon, I have a job for you,” Tokki said, though his face still bore a harsh cast.

“What is it?”

“Co-ordinate with Orukem and assist with the new housing. Temporary shelters will be adequate at first, but we do not want to rely on them for long.” He stopped pacing and leaned his hip against the kitchen counter. “We took your advice on hiring the off-world construction rig. Your knowledge of galactic trades surpasses anything we have, and I am sure it will continue to be very useful. We keep things simple here, which does not always play to our advantage.”

“Orukem is not going with you?” I’d thought everyone in prime fighting condition was to go on the rescue mission.

Tokki gave a rare smile. “To her frustration, no. She’s still having occasional after-effects from the psychic attack, and she is the best at organising things.”

Oh, she’d be most aggrieved at being left behind. “Then it shall be as you wish.”

He pushed off the counter and resumed pacing the length of the room, fingers clenching. “We don’t have time to send someone to these caves to check them out. But if you’re sure about it, we’ll help you.”

I exhaled in a rush of breath.

“And as your kalidi is towards its end, when they’re built, you may choose one of the new dwellings as your home.”

My new home. One on the lake would be perfect, one I would share with Imani, for nothing could be home without her. I clasped my friend’s arm, an easy gesture. “Thank you, Tokki.”

He gripped me tight. “Be safe. Don’t make me regret this.”