Chapter 45
Trove
“I would like to propose a toast!” Grace said, holding up her glass.
The others, all in their own conversations, turned to look at her, quieting down as she stood, smiling over their heads.
“A what?” Vytln asked, his eye already twitching like he was coming into this pre-annoyed by whatever she was about to say.
“A toast,” Trove said smugly, holding up his own cup like he hadn’t also just learned what it was a short time ago. “It’s a human tradition. Of course.”
“It’s a celebration,” Grace said.
“I thought that’s what the food was,” Rok said, confused as he brought the large haunch of some beast to his mouth.
They were indeed having a feast. Back on the Vainglory, darting away from Holotulle, they were heading off to their next job. Which was, in fact, not one of Hyde’s tasks.
Their first job for him, fetching something from some deep, forbidden part of space – whatever that meant – was still incoming. Hyde had to prepare the job for them – again, whatever that meant. When he was ready, he would send them the information.
Until then, they were free to continue business as usual.
And even afterwards, once he sent them the information, he said there wasn’t a time limit on it.
He wouldn’t tell them how to do it or when.
He would only ask that it be done when it was convenient and however they deemed the task easiest to complete.
They wouldn’t be able to send him their expenses until they were working on his job, but once they were, they had as long as they needed to get it done.
Honestly, Hyde was giving them almost a little too much trust. It would be so easy to take advantage of him. If they were less scrupulous, they probably would.
Though, he supposed if they were, Hyde wouldn’t have chosen them to complete his tasks in the first place. So, really, it wasn’t a matter of him trusting them, but him knowing that they weren’t going to take advantage of him.
It kind of made Trove want to take just a little bit of advantage – just to do so. It was an immature response, he knew.
But still…
To celebrate both their new, big client, their big jobs, and the coming prizes they would get by completing them, as well as the new addition to their crew – Chee – the females had decided to have a feast. It was planned, executed, and completed by all of them together, including Chee.
His female had been excited all day. Partially because event planning was something she did as her previous occupation so it was something she could do well, but also because it finally felt like she was one of them now.
There were no more secrets between them.
She had her prize from Hyde, so she had achieved what she set out to do.
Once her parents arrived, she was eager to see them, but she was already an adult by her people’s standards, and for her culture that meant she was living separately from them already.
It wasn’t expected that she live with them or them with her.
There was nothing stopping her from joining their crew, becoming one of them. And with the burden of her secrets and past off her shoulder, Chee was free to be friends with the others. She had been running around all day, setting up this feast, and looked like she enjoyed every moment.
And what a feast it was. She had spent nearly a solid mark just working with their food synthesizer.
It was the one they had taken from the recycling facility, which meant it was designed for high capacity use since it was once designed to feed the entire base.
When they went through the debris field, one of the things they found was the broken remains of their old synthesizer.
The machine itself was a loss, but Vytln had been able to recover some of the internal components.
And of those, one of the things he was able to recover was the memory.
Their old synthesizer had been used as part of a pleasure cruiser, and as such, it had a very wide and diverse recipe library.
Chee had used that library to collaborate with Alred to make a feast where everyone had delicious food from their home planets, treats from Holotulle, and popular delicacies that had gained popularity throughout the Coalition.
Trove had provided the drinks. Alred had provided the music. The females had decorated the room.
Chee coordinated everything. She was the one who asked everyone for food preferences. She had started and set the synthesizer to get cooking. She coordinated everyone in setting the table. She was the one who went to Trove and Alred to get their assistance.
She said she was an event coordinator, and pulling together things like this feast were the skills she had gained from Earth. She said it was nothing special.
But Trove, and Tanin, had recognized what was actually going on.
She was a planner. A coordinator. She used those skills for planning a feast, but those were the kind of skills that could be used for nearly anything.
The kind that could actually be very useful to them.
Right now, Tanin did all the work of coordinating and planning himself. It was a task he was more than equal to, but one that definitely took a lot of time and mental work from him. If he was able to get assistance through Chee…
Trove didn’t think his mate realized that she had impressed Tanin with what she had done.
She was just luxuriating in a job well done.
In getting a huge table of food and treats laid out for them with good music in the background.
But Trove knew his captain well enough to recognize when he had spotted potential in someone.
It was a feast, and an audition, and, of course, a celebration.
As Grace was explaining to the others what a toast was, Trove smiled at Chee over his blood tart – a cold and fruity treat that was quite popular on his home planet. One he hadn’t had in a long time but was even better than his memories could recall.
He wasn’t the only one who appreciated her effort.
Whatever haunch Rok had been given was met with an abundance of excitement.
The big male was holding it in two of his four hands, finger and face covered in grease from the way he was ripping into it.
The twins had been offered some kind of stew that made them both stare, then Tebros was suddenly slurping it up while Sorbet thanked her kindly before doing the same.
Most impressively, apparently, Chee had managed to work with Alred to find foods that the females all exclaimed over because they reminded them of home.
Human recipes didn’t exist yet on food synthesizers and probably wouldn’t for some time to come. So, the humans that existed out in space had to either learn to love the foreign recipes or try to make something that reminded them of familiar tastes from unfamiliar ingredients if they wanted them.
Chee had done the latter, and apparently, she had chosen well.
She found replacements for foods called cotton candy, beef steak, cobbler, fish sticks, pretzels, and chicken.
Trove understood that a chicken was a kind of Earth animal that, by all accounts, was very tasty.
Though, he couldn’t imagine what it tasted like, because many meats apparently tasted just like chicken.
A beast of a thousand flavors. He was interested in trying it.
It was a great time. He was having a lot of fun. Grace’s toast was just another delightful moment as he enjoyed his female’s very well planned and orchestrated feast.
Once everyone had drank in their honor – all of their honor, collectively, though also a little bit in Hyde’s honor as well since it was also a toast for him – they returned to their food. The chatter and laughter at the table felt good.
For a moment, Trove just basked in it. Looking around. Seeing his brothers. Admiring his new sisters. Adoring his mate.
This.
This was what they had fought and struggled so long for.
This was why they had been so desperate to leave Rik-Vane. For moments like this, where they were all relaxed. Safe. Full bellies. Smiles – except Vytln, who’s lack of a scowl basically accounted for a smile anyway.
Tanin watched over them with Garnet on his lap.
He took the food that she gave him, didn’t really contribute much unless asked a direct question, and just monitored his crew.
His quills were flat and smooth; he was relaxed.
He didn’t have to be on guard. He didn’t have to be strong to keep them in check, because they were content and obedient, and content in their obedience.
Sway and Grace were staring lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Haven was tinkering with something under the table, like a youngling who had snuck a toy to the meal, while everyone else pretended not to notice, to let her think she was doing something devious.
She was mischievous at times, and she giggled about it, having a great time, while Vytln just watched her.
Seemingly content to just observe his mate as she entertained herself.
Chee and Goldie were talking. Since Hyde had promised to help build Alred a body, Goldie was all in on completing the jobs for him.
She was almost impatient for it, in fact.
Alred had created a miniature version of his light form, and he had it sitting on her shoulder, involving it in the conversation as he spoke in a falsely high voice, like he really was that tiny.
A show that he put on for no reason except the amusement of Goldie, because it certainly wasn’t necessary.
Though the pair were not mated, and wouldn’t be so long as Alred remained a technological being, their closeness could not be denied by anyone.
That left Rok and Sorbet and Tebros without their mates. Which was somehow, suddenly, the most terrible thing Trove could imagine.
He was this happy with his mate. He knew his brothers had to be equally as happy with their own mates. He needed those three to be just as happy. To experience this thing that he didn’t think they knew yet that they were fighting for.
Because there was no way they could know. None of them even knew that something this peaceful, this wonderful could exist because they didn’t have it yet.
He needed this for them.
Where were their mates? Would Hyde know?
They only needed two. Rok, naturally, needed one, but Sorbet and Tebros were avanava males.
Avanava males were only born as twins, and the twins would share a female.
Something about how their genders were determined, he didn’t really know a lot about it.
The only thing he knew was that the twins would mate one female together.
Maybe they should use True Match. Or something. Anything.
“What’s that look on your face?” Chee asked suddenly.
He started and turned to her, away from his brothers, and grinned. “Just thinking. Do you know any females that might be interested in Rok or the twins?”
Chee blinked, then started laughing. “I don’t think so.”
“None of your friends back on Earth?”
“Well, the others were all either old or already married or both. So, they probably wouldn’t be interested in a mate. Or leaving Earth. Funny enough, it’s not nearly as appealing a prospect as those of us here might make you believe.”
“They need females of their own,” Trove hummed thoughtfully.
“I don’t think they’re interested.”
“What makes you say that?”
“The look on their faces,” she snickered, looking past him.
He turned again. Tebros was next to him, Sorbet just beside his brother. The two had been so absorbed in whatever stew they had been given, Trove honestly didn’t think they were paying any attention to what was going on.
That was on him, really. He should have known better. The twins were never unaware of what was going on around them.
And judging by the looks on their faces, they did not appreciate Trove suddenly deciding to play matchmaker for them.
He smiled at them harmlessly. “I just think you two need a female.”
“No,” Sorbet said simply. He almost always spoke for both of them. Trove could probably remember all the times Tebros had said words on one hand. And also counted how many words he said each time on that same hand.
“You two need a female,” Trove said, gesturing with his cup, golden cider swishing inside.
“No,” Sorbet said again. He pointed to Rok. “Play with him. We’re fine.”
“What do you have against a mate?”
“No,” was all he said.
“I’ll take a mate,” Rok said from across the table, his face brightening. “I want a sweet one like you all have.”
“Mine’s not sweet,” Vytln said. “She’s fierce and intelligent.”
“Mine isn’t sweet either,” Sway smiled at Grace. “She’s elegant and poised.”
Garnet gave Tanin a look. He looked back and asked, “What?”
“Aren’t you going to say that I’m sweet?” She poked his chest expectantly.
“You’re many things, Garnet. Sweet isn’t really up there.”
“I am so sweet,” she gasped, affronted.
Trove just laughed. “Okay, Rok. A sweet female. What else do you want? Pretty?”
“Oh, I know she’ll be pretty already,” Rok waved the words away. “But I wish she’d be kindly. I’ve always wanted a mate who was kindly.”
“Always? How long have you wanted a mate?”
“Since you all started getting one,” Rok beamed. “I was promised one when I was young if I was good and worked hard. It never happened for me, but I’ve always kind of wondered…”
“Er, Rok?” Garnet started cautiously. “Females aren’t prizes to be given to you for good, hard work. You know that, right?”
Rok cocked his head. “They’re not?”
Trove knew immediately that was the wrong answer by the judging looks suddenly cast at him by every female at the table. Their faces were blank, but their gazes were staring, and it wasn’t anything good in their eyes.
Rok’s focus darted quickly around. And he might not have been their brightest crewmate, but he certainly knew when he just got himself in trouble.
“Go easy on him,” Tanin interjected calmly, taking his own cup. “He doesn’t know better.”
“He will,” Garnet promised while Haven nodded quickly along.
“I’m sorry,” Rok said, staring between them all, looking decidedly uncomfortable now that he was in trouble.
“What are you sorry for?” Grace asked easily, her tone even and unjudging. Only serving to make him shift uncomfortably.
“Talking?” He finally asked, clearly not understanding.
“Don’t worry, big guy,” Goldie told him with a tight smile. “We’ll teach you. You’ll learn better. It’s okay.”
It certainly didn’t look like it was okay. Trove wisely kept his mouth shut as he brought another bite of his tart to his mouth, enjoying the metallic blood and sweet fruit blended together in peace.