It made sense that his crew would look to him as an example for their future, but the entirety of that damn station? That wasn’t what Tanin meant to do when he set out. He honestly didn't care if anyone else ever made it out of there. He didn't want to be the vanguard of change for the lost and broken of the universe. When did he ever sign up for that?
He let out an irritated sigh, getting to his feet just as Alred appeared beside him.
“Seems we have more oversight than we ever intended.”
“So it appears.” Tanin walked to the edge of the console, looking out over space.
“That doesn’t bother you?”
“Actually, it might prove to work in our favor. I’m confident we can hide anything we need to from Ikvar. But his tacit approval and supervision gives us a lot more legitimacy. I don’t think it was the good captain’s intention, but he has just given us more credibility and stability than ever before. In a way, he’s acting as our sponsor now. Maybe not financially, but if we ever run into problems in the future with our IDs, we can refer it back to him to deal with.”
Alred chuckled, coming to stand by his side. “You would be one to find a way to benefit from this.”
“Anything that gets us closer to our goal and maintains our freedom.”
“You really are the best gamble I’ve made in all my recalls.” Alred let out a humming sound of contentment. “I’m glad I took a risk on you.”
Tanin didn't respond to that. He was glad Alred took that risk as well. If he hadn’t reached out to Tanin that day all the way back then, who knows where Tanin would be now? It was possible he would still be living on Rik-Vane, maybe running a gang of his own. Probably not with any of the crew he had now, as he wouldn’t have sought them out without Alred’s recommendation. But it was also just as likely that he would be dead. Luck had just as much to play in his survival as skill.
But Alredhadreached out, and Taninhadtaken his own risk to accept his offer.
Much in the same way he accepted Garnet’s offer. Another risk of his that was turning out to be one of the best decisions he’d ever made.
“Where are the females?” He asked. Garnet slept with him in his room now, but even spending every night with her wasn’t enough. He wanted her near him all the time. He was considering buying her a new fleet of cleaning bots if it meant having more time with her.
“The females are currently raiding the storage room.”
“Raiding the…” Tanin frowned. “Why?”
“They are nesting.”
“What?”
“Yes. Goldie read that Garnet should be nesting, so they’ve decided to start by figuring out what they have and what they might need going forward.”
Tanin was only more confused. “Why would Garnet need to be nesting?”
“Unfortunately, I have been sworn to secrecy,” Alred said with no small amount of smugness. “They threatened to cover my core in magnets if I talked.”
“Magnets? Why magnets?”
“I’m given to understand that Earth technology can still be susceptible to them. Isn’t that adorable?”
“Yes, butyourcore isn’t susceptible to them.”
Alred laughed. “Oh, but they were so fierce when they threatened me. I was afraid they’d try to smash my core next. So, I simply cannot tell. If you want to know, you’ll have to go ask your female yourself. My lips are sealed.”
“You don’t have lips,” Tanin said, annoyed.
But Alred was already gone, his light form fading away dramatically as Alred chuckled.
The females were trying to find nesting supplies? Why would they…
Oh.
Tanin turned and threw himself down the open hatch into the bridge. Sway, stretching over by the navigation panel, looked over in surprise when he landed, but Tanin was already at the lift, heading down, before he could ask.
The storage room on the lowest floor was where they kept all their supplies and extra materials for anything they might need. Spare parts, extra nutrient powder, cleaning supplies, and many other things. There wasn’t, unfortunately, anything in there that would be suitable for a nesting female though. They didn't keep an abundance of blankets or pillows or any other soft things that a female would want for a nest.
