Synthesis, p.22
Synthesis, page 22
Dawn shook her head sadly. “Selina, babe. There is no such thing as falling behind. It’s not a race. My relationship with Kayden is going to be different than my relationship with you, and Kayden would say the exact same thing.”
Kayden nodded in reply and continued Dawn’s thought. “And different doesn’t mean better or worse in this case. Just different. I promise that when you get here you’ll get one-on-one time with each of us and time as a group.”
“But what if you start to get to know me deeper and decide you don’t like me?” Selina countered with a small, insecure voice.
“Then we decide to be just friends.” Dawn replied. “But I don’t think there’s much chance of that happening, honestly.”
“What makes you say that?” She asked.
“Well, for starters, you should see the way this big guy lights up before he gets to talk to you everyday. If he wasn’t already with me I’d be a bit jealous, honestly. It’s adorable the way he’s so excited before every call with you.”
“Hey now!” Kayden said with mock indignation.
“It’s true, don’t deny it.” Dawn retorted as she grinned.
Selina looked up at Kayden shyly. “Is it true?”
In that moment, his heart melted for the cute catgirl in front of him. She was right in that he felt like he still didn’t know her as well as he knew Dawn, but he could already see how sweet and fun she could be. A deep feeling of protectiveness also welled in his chest as he looked at her – he wanted nothing more than to bring her here and keep her safe from the Black Company.
“Yeah, it’s true.” He admitted after a long pause. “Dawn is right. Talking to you is always one of the highlights of my day.”
“Of both our days.” Dawn interjected. “Do you feel the same Selina?”
“Yes.” She said breathlessly, a smile creeping in.
Kayden nodded. “Good. You’ve heard us talk about our dream here: building a colony, our little home base that we can launch our adventures from. What’s your dream? Long term?”
Selina’s smile broadened. “Nobody’s ever asked me that.”
“Well, I’m asking.” Kayden said.
“I’d…just like to have a home. I don’t really have a family anymore. Even before I worked for the Black Company, I always moved from place to place, never settling anywhere for very long. For the first time in a long time, I’d just like to be from somewhere, you know? To have somewhere to call my own. Somewhere filled with people I love, who I can make memories with.”
Dawn matched Selina’s smile. “A long-term, healthy relationship is only possible when people’s dreams can come true together. I think your dream and ours works perfectly together. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. As soon as we can we’re coming to pick you up and bring you here. Then we can focus on getting to know each other in person, and see where it takes us.”
“I’d like that very much.” Selina said.
“Why don’t you come to bed with us Selina?” Kayden asked. “I’ll take the phone and set it up in the bedroom on video chat, and you can do the same. We can all get in bed and talk until we fall asleep. Sound good?”
A smile gradually creeped wider and wider across Selina’s face. “Yes please!” She said with enthusiasm.
“Good. Then let’s get into bed.” Kayden said finally.
Chapter 20
09:14, June 2nd, 2134
“You seem more excited for this call than I am.” Dawn said, straightening Kayden’s shirt as they sat together in the mess hall.
“I just want to make a good first impression in front of my girlfriend’s parents, that’s all.” Kayden said, running his hand nervously through his hair then trying to tame his quickly-growing beard.
Dawn stopped straightening his shirt, blushing slightly. She looked up at him, her yellow eyes locking with his. “What?” He asked.
“It’s just…that’s the first time you’ve called me your girlfriend, that’s all.” She replied.
“Not ready for that kind of title yet?” He said with a grimace. “I feel like calling you ‘my woman’ probably wouldn’t go over too well with your dad, but maybe-”
“No! Not at all. I like it. Let’s go with girlfriend.” She said with a broad smile. “Now relax, okay?”
Kayden took a deep breath. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, this wasn’t just about meeting his girlfriend’s parents. With Muradin’s success in fixing the shuttle looming, the council had agreed that they should start searching for colonists with needed skills to come back to Sanctuary. As much as Port Vega had already provided them a list of potential candidates, he was sure that having a doctor, former diplomat, and former police chief that he could trust would help the colony immensely.
He looked over at Dawn as she continued to smile at him. “You’re overthinking again. What’s on your mind?”
He shrugged. “A few months ago all I was thinking about was how I was going to make sure I could write my own destiny. Then I met you and we got stranded here. I agreed to help the colony because it would help me remove the neural link. Now…I’m genuinely invested in this colony’s success. I’m about to interview our first prospective colonists.”
“How does that make you feel?” She asked.
“Good.” He responded. “Really good. Taking on this leadership role here has really shown me that freedom is about more than just ‘doing whatever I want’. It’s about prioritizing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Choosing to be a leader here means I’m giving up the ability to just run away and do whatever I want, when I want. I have commitments, responsibilities that I need to handle. But it also gives me the ability to do things to make other people’s lives better – yours, your family’s, Selina’s. I think a big part of the reason I didn’t want to lead this colony is because I knew what I’d be giving up. Now I can see what I’m getting in return is worth a lot more to me.”
She leaned up and kissed him softly. As her pink lips met his, she gently placed one hand on the back of his neck and pulled him closer. He didn’t resist, giving into her softness and returning the kiss without reservation. Gradually, she pulled away and her eyes met his. “You say these things…acting all responsible and leader-like. It makes me fall for you, deeper every day.”
Kayden was about to respond before her phone began to ring. She gave him one more quick kiss and straightened his shirt before scooting in close to him and answering the call, bringing it up on the screen in front of them.
The screen displayed 3 people sitting on a couch – a woman and two men. The woman was the spitting image of an older version of Dawn, having red hair that was streaked with grey. Her green eyes widened as she saw the two of them, and she smiled warmly. She sat in the middle of the two men, her arms neatly folded in front of her.
To her left sat a man whose bald head and wrinkles around his eyes betrayed his advanced age. He sat ramrod straight, and based on the way his shirt flexed as he leaned forward he obviously took care of his body. His blue eyes darted towards the screen, ignoring Kayden and looking at Dawn for a moment.
On the right side of the couch sat a younger man with red hair and a bushy red beard. His green eyes carried a look of exhaustion behind them, and he was wearing a set of blue medical scrubs as if he’d just finished a shift at a clinic.
“Dawn!” The older woman cried. “We’re so happy to see you.”
“Hi guys.” She replied, smiling back. “I’d like to introduce you to Kayden. Kayden, this is Samantha, Jack, and Daniel Parker – my mother, father, and brother, respectively.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet the three of you.” Kayden said, smiling at each of them. “Dawn has told me so much about each of you.”
“I’m sure.” Daniel said with a wry grin. “Whatever she’s said is all lies, I promise.”
“Daniel!” Dawn admonished him.
Leaning further forward, Jack clapped his hands. “So, should we get down to business?”
Appreciating his forthrightness, Kayden nodded. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
“So I’m to understand that you are one of the leaders of a brand new colony, is that correct?” Jack asked.
“Yes, that’s-” Kayden started out.
Jack cut him off. “And you’d like for us to come live there?”
Kayden took a deep breath. He had rehearsed his sales pitch 100 times in his mind the night before, and it was time to deliver it. Locking eyes with the man on the screen, Kayden began to speak. “Yes, that’s right. We’re a small colony and we’re just getting started, but we’re safe here. We’re looking for people with skills who would really help us grow. I think that the three of you-”
“We accept.” Daniel interrupted him.
“-would be able to contr-…wait, what?” Kayden stuttered, caught off guard.
“We accept.” Daniel repeated.
“Daniel!” Jack said. “You can’t just…I mean…”
“What, dad? I can’t accept? Dad, your lungs are going to give out if you live on Port Vega much longer. Mom, you hate this place for what the Black Company has done to it. I just came off an 18 hour shift at the clinic – one which should have been shorter, but they refuse to hire any more doctors because it’ll cut into their fucking profits. This is our chance to get out of here. Sure it’ll be hard, but… we’ll be doing it for something that actually matters instead of some faceless corporation. Won’t that be worth it?”
“Do you feel the same, Mrs. Parker?” Kayden asked.
“Call me Sam. And yes, I do. I spoke out against the Black Company years ago and…well, at this point I’d like to get as far away from them as possible.”
“Do you mind if I ask what happened?”
“I spoke out against them when they bribed government officials in exchange for their support in privatizing critical civil services like law enforcement and defense. When I threatened to go public with the evidence I had, they threatened to kill my entire family if I did.”
“Why not run then? Go somewhere else?” Kayden asked.
She laughed humorlessly in response. “Go where? They have agents everywhere. There would be no point, and running might just give them the impression that we’re about to spill their secrets. They’d consider killing us pre-emptively.”
Kayden nodded. “How about you Mr. Parker? Do you feel the same?”
Jack glowered at Kayden, but then nodded. “Those fucking assholes have us over a barrel here. We talked about it before the call, and we all agreed – this is the best way out. Though I can’t say I like the idea of being the resident useless old man on a colony world.”
Dawn smiled from ear to ear and squealed excitedly, making them all laugh and breaking the tension in the room. “You’re going to love it here! I’ve already got a space in the tower picked out for you.”
Jack’s face softened, but he still looked like he had more to say. “Do you want to ask me any remaining questions you have Mr. Parker? I want you to be completely comfortable with your decision.” Kayden offered.
“I just don’t want you thinking that this means I approve of you dating my daughter.” He said finally.
“I’d never presume that Mr. Parker.” Kayden said with a smile. He’d reported to hard-ass officers before, and he figured this would be a similar situation. “I hope to earn that trust someday.”
“Why don’t you start now?” He said as he pulled out a tablet. “I have a list of questions here…”
***
13:42, June 2nd, 2134
“I gotta say – nothing in my military career prepared me for being interrogated by your father.” Kayden said jokingly.
“You did a good job, I promise.” Dawn reassured him. “By the end I could tell he liked you.”
“For now, sure. What’s going to happen when he finds out I’m dating both you and Selina?” Kayden countered.
She shrugged in reply. “Despite his outward appearances, he’s actually a pretty open-minded guy. Besides, I’m an adult – it’s not like I need his approval to be with someone.”
“Maybe not, but it’s important to me for your family to like me.”
As they reached the mouth of the cave leading to the tunnel, Dawn turned Kayden around and kissed him. Between the sweltering heat and the uphill hike from the base they were both sweaty, but neither of them seemed to mind. He pulled her close to him and felt her tuck her tail behind him. By the time they finally broke the kiss, Dawn was beaming. “You’re sweet. That means a lot to me that you want to earn my parent’s approval.”
“Dawn, you’re the first woman who has really embraced me for everything that I am. You’re the first one who asked me what I want to do with my life, and turned ‘my’ dream into ‘our’ dream. You’ve supported me all the way, and I’m going to fight tooth and nail for this – for us. And if that means impressing your father, then I’ll do it.”
“Gosh, that sounds serious!” Dawn joked.
“I am serious.” Kayden said, pulling her into another deep kiss.
When they broke apart she nodded. “Good. Me too. Now you need to stop kissing me like that, or else we’re never going to find that Vrul base.”
With a laugh, they turned back to the cave and slipped on their combat helmets. They pulled out their rifles and strapped flashlights to the ends before entering, casting wide beams into the darkness. As they reached the hole they blasted into the tunnel they swept their flashlights back and forth looking for any evidence of imps, but there was nothing.
Kayden felt confident in their ability to handle any number of imps. The last time they had surprised him, and he only had a pistol. This time, they were both wearing full combat armour and wielding assault rifles with extra ammunition strapped to their belts. It would take an army of imps to hurt them.
“Hey, if we run across imps again, do you think you could use that other ability you have? Pheromone control? This might be a good chance to try.” Kayden said.
“I don’t know.” Dawn replied as she carefully stepped into the tunnel. “To be honest I’ve been trying to use it, but…nothing has happened.”
“Maybe it doesn’t work on humans?” Kayden suggested as they began to walk uphill through the tunnel, away from the base.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ll ask Daniel when they get here, he’ll probably be able to give us more insight.” Dawn responded. She paused for a moment, then continued. “You know, we’ve been really lucky that we’ve had relatively few injuries so far.”
“Except for yours.” Kayden interjected.
“You know what I mean.” Dawn said, shaking her head. “Establishing a colony can be dangerous work. You might run into dangerous wildlife, or deadly zoonotic diseases, or any one of a hundred other things that might cause us to need a doctor. I’m glad we’re going to have a doctor here soon.” She grinned, then amended her statement. “A medical doctor. All due respect to Cassie, of course.”
“Yeah, I agree. Not that Cassie hasn’t been helpful.” Kayden added. “We never would have figured out any of this ‘Vrul vs Kel’ stuff without her help.”
“She has.” Dawn agreed. “Did you hear Selina’s joke last night, about inviting her into our harem? I thought she was going to jump out of her skin.”
“Yeah…” Kayden said. “It’s not that she’s not attractive, I just…don’t see her like that. And I think the feeling is mutual.”
“Why do you think that is? Do you think it’s an ‘older woman’ thing? Or because she’s a mom? Or is it the whole ‘geeky’ thing she has going on?” Dawn pressed him.
“No, it’s not that.” Kayden replied. “Trust me, I could be plenty attracted to all of those qualities, in the right context. There needs to be romantic and sexual chemistry between two people in order for it to work. I just don’t feel that way about Cassie. She’s more like…a sister, than anything else.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Dawn agreed. “I don’t feel that towards her either. So we’re agreed she’s not going to be getting an invitation to the harem?”
“I didn’t know we were accepting other applicants.” Kayden joked.
“Oh Kayden.” Dawn shook her head. “For someone so smart, you’re a little naïve sometimes. You’re one of the leaders of a new colony, you’re everyone’s protector, and you’ve got the whole mystique of being mind-linked to a Vrul ship going for you. On top of that you’re kind, generous, and protective. You’re going to have other women interested in you.”
“Sure, but just because they’re interested doesn’t mean I’d disrupt what we have just to get involved with them.”
“No, I agree with you on that point.” Dawn said. “But if there’s a woman who is interested, and Selina and I agree on bringing her in…I don’t see why we need to stop at just the 3 of us.”
“You’re serious?” Kayden asked incredulously.
“Sure. Why not? If 3 people can fall for each other…why not more?”
Kayden searched his own feelings. In the last month, he’d come to care deeply about both Dawn and Selina – something he would have thought was impossible before this. While the idea of adding more women into the mix was unorthodox, he saw no reason why he couldn’t learn to care for another. It’d make things more complicated for all of their love lives, but it might just be worth it.
“You’re right.” He agreed. “Let’s just get Selina settled with us first though, okay?”
“Deal.” Dawn responded.
Gradually, the tunnel opened to a large room similar to the Kel lab. They swept the flashlight beams on their rifles back and forth, but didn’t see anything in the large room. Still unwilling to let their guard down, they stuck close together and covered each other’s backs as they slowly walked through the room, examining each workstation.
Their caution was validated when an Imp materialized on the other side of the room. Dawn was the first to see it, and the instant she tapped Kayden on his shoulder he swiveled around and took careful aim at its forehead. “Wait.” Dawn said, taking a step forward. “It’s…doing something.”
