GOM 3, chapter five. (Patreon)

The boys are getting there.  Slowly.

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Chapter Five

Regi watched as Vk and Dante came riding back across the space port much sooner than he expected. “Nawr, I have duties to attend,” he said to the image of the senior exalted on the communication screen.

Nawr gave him a disappointed look. “You have duties to the temple.”

“And I am doing them,” Regi said. He attended every meeting, updated the other exalteds on the state of the repairs to the ship, and allowed himself to be seen by the flocks of Kowri suddenly interested in visiting the cold weather temple. However, there were limits to what he would do for the temple. Nawr had found that limit.

“She is an exalted.”

Regi sighed and watched as Vk twisted around in the saddle, watching their six. Something had happened to make her nervous, and she was not one to jump at shadows. He needed to get to the hatch. “She doesn’t want to speak to me as an exalted. She wants to speak to me as my mother. This is not an issue for the temple.” Before Nawr could form another argument, Regi turned off the screen and headed for the hatch.

Captain Cota was waiting for him at the bottom of the main ladder. “Can we talk?”

Regi wanted make sure Dante and Vk were safe, but Cota was the captain. “Of course, sir.”

“Ter reports that another system failed testing. I suspect the Kowri engineers are sabotaging the work. I don’t want to offend our guests, but I am thinking of banning Hrole and Merbol. How do you think the temple leaders would react? Is this a good idea?”

Considering Merbol had procured alcohol for Dante, Regi was in favor of the change. However, he agreed that the situation was difficult. “I would not accuse faithful Kowri of acting against the stated policy of the temple.”

“I assumed,” Cota said. He had a wrinkle between his eyes, so he was worried. “What excuse can I use? If I do not get the Kowri engineers out of ship, Ter is going to start accusing them of sabotage. Loudly. And with anatomical suggestions that are sure to offend the temple.”

Regi rubbed his arm as his hair tried to stand on end. Making an accusation like that, particularly if it was made in the tone Ter used when frustrated, would make their situation in Kowri space much more difficult. “I can tell the temple that the gods are clearly choosing to prevent us from leaving and that we are wasting their time in asking them to repair systems that the gods do not want repaired.”

Cota studied him for a time. “Is that what you believe?”

“Does it matter?” Regi asked. For years, no one had cared about his religious beliefs, so he was uncomfortable with their interest.

“Probably not,” Cota admitted. “I’ll talk to Ter. No doubt he will continue to attempt repairs, but without the Kowri engineers, expect his own staff to react poorly when he turns his ire on them. Prepare for an increase in complaints about insubordination and drinking.”

“Wonderful,” Regi said sarcastically. Cota patted his shoulder before leaving. Regi headed for the hatch, setting Ter’s temper aside for the moment. The crew was already stressed from their uncertain circumstances, so it would not take much to inspire bad behavior. And after Nawr’s call, Regi couldn’t escape the pressure by claiming business at the temple. He had to avoid the temple for the foreseeable future.

If the gods were breaking Ter’s engine in order to force Regi into the temple, he was going to reconsider his devotion to Divashi. He strode down the corridor to the main hatch where Vk and Dante were having an animated conversation. Divashi’s Brown had already wandered away, but the animal Vk had ridden was standing in the shade of the ship switching its tail.

The moment Vk spotted him, she hurried over. “Regi, tell this idiot that he cannot agree to dangerous activities.”

All the hair on Regi’s arm stood on end. “I didn’t agree to anything dangerous,” Dante argued as he stroked a chittering Peaches.

“You did.”

“You have a strange definition of dangerous.”

Regi looked from one to the other, but they were engaged in staring at each other in some sort of dominance display. “One of you needs to explain what happened.” Regi fought to keep his voice even and his hand off his weapon.

“One of the temple leaders wants him to go on a mission for the temple so that Kowri people can see him and grow impressed by his devotion to the temple.” Vk spit the words at Dante. In response, he rolled his eyes.

“See him? Why would the temple want him to be seen?” Regi assumed they had omitted significant details because most of the exalteds would rather the outsiders stay inside the ship. Only Divashi’s obvious favor gave Dante some freedom. After all, it was hard to deny the gods’ favor when they conspired to drive Dante into the temple to stand for a temple test.

“There’s a new murder plot afoot,” Dante said easily as he walked past Regi.

Regi looked at Vk in horror, torn between following the huuman and getting answers from his second. His need for information won out. “Did someone attack?”

“No, nothing like that,” Vk assured him. “The woman who worships logic explained that the government has identified additional people from Siger’s group, but they don’t have specific names of people to arrest.”

“Then Dante should stay on the ship.” Regi felt guilty that one of his first thoughts was that this would be a good excuse to avoid the temple and the town.

Vk leaned against the ship as though dreading going back inside. “They gave him that option, but they also suggested that if more Kowri saw him being respectful to your religion, fewer crazy people might want to kill him.”

Regi rubbed his arms to lay the hair back down. “It only takes one homicidal individual to steal his life.”

“I said as much to Dante. Often. Loudly, even. I don’t know whether he chooses to not listen or whether he values his own life too lightly, but he said he wants to travel into the forest on this task for the temple.”

“I will speak to him,” Regi said, and a look of relief washed over Vk’s face. Then she wrinkled her long nose.

“And I shall clean the smell of animal from myself and my clothing. It is a disagreeable scent.”

They split in the main hall, and Regi headed up to Dante’s room. The former dop room was empty except for a single male asleep in the dop climbing area. Instinct had Regi reaching for his radio, but Coalition radios, like Kowri phones, were coded to individuals, and Dante did not have the credentials to own either.

Ter’s engine room was Regi’s second guess since the huuman appreciated the many and creative ways Ter wielded words as weapons, but only Ter was there, muttering under a control panel while two engineering assistants cleaned filters in an adjacent room. He trekked up to the deck to see if Dante had requested communication through the captain, but Wayi was on deck watch and hadn’t seen him.

The ship was not large. There were a limited number of places a sapient creature of Dante’s size could hide, but Regi had failed to find him. He should go back to his office and return Nawr’s call; cutting him off had transcended the bounds of politeness.

Instead, Regi headed to his quarters after a quick call telling Thet’thec that he had charge of the security boards. Regi was shocked to find Dante standing outside his room. “I was looking for you,” Regi blurted.

“Ironic because I was looking for you.”

“Come in,” Regi said as he opened the door. He wished they could have this conversation somewhere else, but at least Regi had changed the room significantly since Dante had lived here with the other huuman slaves. The bunks that had been bolted to the floor were gone and a wooden frame with Kowri pillows took up the center of the room with each of the four sides having a different function, like like a tradition Kowri room.

Dante looked about, poking the bright blue dressing bench with his toe. “You have a lot of space in here.” Peaches chittered, and Dante put her down. She trundled about for a bit before heading for his closet where she lost herself amongst his uniforms.

“I’ll have to move to an inner room once we leave the planet, but for now I’m enjoying having more space than normal.”

Dante abandoned the dressing area and wandered over to the stretching mats and poles, running his finger along them. “Yeah, only the captain’s quarters has this much room, and even then the space is divided up more.”

“If we lost gravity while I was in this room, my body would get flung around quite a bit.” Regi didn’t say it, but that’s exactly why the huumans should not have been housed in such an open space. Even when their bunks had been bolted in place, there was too much room for a body in motion to develop dangerous momentum. Well, that and this room was just under the hull of the ship so any microfractures or punctures would pose an immediate risk to life.

Dante turned his back on the mats. “I want to help the temple with the pebafri. That’s all they asked me to do—escort some guy on his mission to find shit in the jungle.”

Regi assumed the temple did not seek actual shit. The pebafri stables would be the best source of such material, but like Ter, Dante did tend to use the language of bodily functions in creative ways. Regi sighed and sat on the end of his bed platform. “You know how dangerous the planet is for outsiders. You barely survived Siger’s plot.”

“I think it was more Alb’s plot and Siger was one of the cogs.”

Regi stared at Dante, unable to form words.

After a long silence, Dante came over and sat on the edge of the bed with Regi. “I know the danger. I do. But I don’t want to be stuck in this ship. Peaches doesn’t want to be stuck in this ship.”

“You use the dop as an excuse because no one will argue with the Lady Divashi,” Regi accused him. He would never say something like that in public because questioning how another interpreted the will of their god was an offense not lightly forgiven, but he had grown too used to speaking his mind. He was no longer fit for polite Kowri conversation.

Dante grinned. “Of course I do,” he agreed easily. “However, my job back home was helping people who didn’t have much experience on a horse. This feels like getting back to normal.”

“Do you normally have people trying to murder you?”

“My father is a senator. You’d be surprised at how many people want my family dead.”

Regi had not expected that answer, especially because Dante had just entered his adult years. No one under the age of majority should have to deal with the horrors Dante had endured and apparently those horrors had not begun when the pirates had taken him from his home.

“Don’t make that face.” Dante hit Regi with his shoulder.

“I have only one face, so I must make it,” Regi said. He suspected Dante intended to comment on his expression, but he chose to make light of the translator’s continued difficulties.

Dante grinned. “Look, Poutine wants help with the pebafris, and I am surprisingly talented and wrangling those beasts.”

Regi frowned as the translator offered up an image of fried foods covered in multiple forms of animal fats. That was odd. Then again, sometimes names had accidental translations. Thet’thec shared his name with an anatomical structure in the gut of herbivores on the Efhtee home planet.

“I do not want you in danger.”

“You people have Ean on board, so I know that you know the importance of good mental health. I am going to lose my mind if I stay on this ship too much. But when I’m in town, Kowri stare, and I keep thinking about Siger and how he seemed like a good guy until he tried to kill me. Getting away from everyone and riding out into the forest seems like a great solution.”

“You won’t be alone. The Kowri escorting you could betray you.”

“They might,” Dante agreed easily. “But Gimi is arranging this trip, and I get the feeling she’s smarter than us. She’ll pick good people.” He hesitated before adding, “You could come with us. Then you could make sure we don’t run into any traps or betrayals.”

Regi huffed.

“No pressure. You don’t have to. In fact, I’m sure you have many duties here that would make it impossible for you to go.”

“I could go,” Regi said, “however, my parents have arrived at the planet and every second I spend outside the ship is a second I am in danger of encountering them.”

“Awkward,” Dante said.

“In that it would prevent me from escorting you, I agree. And without some sort of security escort, I am uncomfortable with you leaving the ship for an extended time.”

“So send Vk.”

“Does Vk want to go?”

Dante sighed. “Probably not.”

“I should overcome my childish fear of encountering my parents and escort you. It is my duty as security chief.” Regi straightened and braced himself to do his duty.”

“Whoa, I did not say that. I get that you have a difficult relationship with your parents. If my father showed up, I would pay money to avoid him. I would hide in the ship until he gave up and went home. I would be such a basket case that I would volunteer to go visit Ean and tell her all about my crappy childhood.”

Regi did not understand the basket reference, but the rest made perfect sense. “Did he not want you to go into space?”

Dante collapsed back into the pillows and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t think he would have cared if I chose to go to space, but he would have told me I wasn’t smart enough or skilled enough to earn a spot on a rocket. If he found out I’d been kidnapped by space pirates, he’d find some way to blame me. Being in the back field drinking would have been reason enough for that.”

Dante scratched his stomach. “I wonder if they left the whiskey bottle behind. If so, my father definitely blames me for my own kidnapping.”

“Then he is unreasonable.”

“If I had whiskey, I would drink to that.”

The silence draped around them, heavy in the air, but Dante didn’t seem to notice. He lay on his back, his thigh pressed against Regi’s, and Regi did not possess the strength to move away.

Finally Regi said, “My mother accused me of turning my back to the gods. I officially dedicated myself to Poque, goddess of wanderers, but she told me that I was lying to myself and using Poque as an excuse to abandon the temple and my family.”

Dante winced. “Ouch.”

“It did hurt. She dedicated her whole life to Otutha, to the point that her family came a distant second, so hearing her say that I had given up on my family… I may not have handled it well.” The truth came closer to dishonorable conduct and screaming that made Ter appear calm. Perhaps that is why Regi had so much patience with the engineer. “And now I am an exalted of Divashi, and I know she will find more reasons to disapprove.”

“Does she not like the goddess of poisons, because I have to admit that some of my people would feel the same. It’s the part where she advocates poison and disorder that is going to make people uncomfortable.” He twitched two fingers toward his forehead and then the ceiling before adding, “No offense, ma’am.”

“Minait respects all the gods; however, she has always focused more on the immediate. To her, Otutha is most important because a child being born matters more than some political issue. She would see the conflict between the Coalition and the temple and declare it all inconsequential as long as no on stubbed a toe.” Regi growled his frustration.

Dante rubbed a hand over Regi’s leg, the warmth of his palm invading Regi’s space until he could think of nothing else. “You should not touch me in such a way,” Regi warned.

Dante jerked his hand back. “I apologize. That was out of line.” He got up and strode to the closet before going to his knees and searching through the uniforms for Peaches. Regi knew he had spoken too harshly from Dante’s reaction, but he struggled to clarify his thoughts so Dante would understand that the fault lay with Regi.

“You are not out of line, but if you continue touching me, I will be tempted to obliterate the line. I find you attractive, and I know that is disagreeable given how recently you reached your majority, so I am attempting to maintain enough space that I can better control myself.”

Dante slowly turned without getting off his knees. “Are you saying that you like it when I touch you?”

“I am saying it is inappropriate for me to like it when you touch me.”

Dante snorted. “Sexually, I’ve been in my majority for years. Sixteen is the age of consent where I’m from, and I passed that five years ago.”

“But you said your most recent celebration of your birth anniversary marked the occasion.”

“Can we talk about human culture later and discuss how we both feel when we touch right now?” Dante asked as he climbed to his feet.

Regi was marshaling his reasons for avoiding touch when Dante crossed the room and stood so he straddled Regi’s knees. His legs were long and slender, but Regi knew how much strength was in them. His mouth started to water and his cock harden.

“I should leave,” Regi said without moving.

Dante rested his hands on Regi’s shoulders. “Do you really want to?”

Regi knew what he should answer—what he must answer. Dante was a victim of a heinous crime, a member of a species so young that Regi could not look up the courting rituals. He was strong and loyal, yes. But he was also fragile in ways that worried Regi. A sane Kowri would walk away. Almost of their own volition, Regi’s hands wandered to Dante’s waist and rested there, just above his hip bones.

Dante’s smile was as slow as a delta sliding across a sun-warmed branch. “That’s what I thought.”