Blue solace complete ser.., p.76
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 76
“Do I need to get the water hose?” Hack asked sullenly from the front door.
Beck yelped, startled, and started to move, but Beol growled and held Beck’s head still for one more long, wet kiss.
Beol lifted his head and glared at Hack. “What are you doing here? We don’t meet the Council for two more hours.”
Gregor poked his head out of the basement door. “Actually, we meet the Council in thirty minutes. You’ve been making out for almost three hours. Is it safe to come out yet?”
“Three hours?” Beol looked at his communicator.
“It feels more like twenty-four hours,” Becca said dryly from behind Gregor. “I swear, Beol, you’re either holding Beck’s lips hostage or talking to Icarus. When do you sleep?”
“Thirty minutes, guys.” Hack looked at Beck pointedly. “Are we even going to get to meet Icarus before the Council does? Selene is outside.”
“Selene?” Beck stood, keeping Beol in his arms.
His mate slowly slid down his body, threatening to distract him again.
“Just be happy we kept your secret, or everyone would be here. Blue Solace has your back, Beck.”
“Dad?” Icarus’s voice came from the basement.
Beck rushed past Gregor and Becca. “Rus? Do you need me?”
Icarus stood with Meggie and Sax. “Do we look alright? We let Meggie dress us.” Each of them wore formal business clothing.
Beck grinned. “You all look like accountants.”
Meggie shuddered. “Don’t remind me.”
“We want them to take us seriously.” Icarus bit his lip.
Beck rushed forward and hugged his son. “They’ll love you, Icarus.” He grabbed Meggie and Sax, pulling them into his hug. “They’ll love all of you.”
Beol came down the stairs. “If they don’t realize how amazing the three of you are, they’ll have Half-Moon to deal with.”
“There you go,” Beck said, letting them go. “We have a team of assassins on our side. Are you kids ready?”
“We aren’t kids.” Meggie frowned but leaned up and kissed his cheek. “We’re as ready as we’re going to get.”
Beol walked Meggie and Sax up the stairs, and Beck turned back to Icarus. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so distracted lately. I should have been down here helping you get ready.”
“You just met your mate, Dad. Don’t sweat it.” Icarus’s smile was gentle and sweet, just like his boy. “I know you love me.”
“I do love you.” Beck hugged him one more time, then followed him upstairs and outside.
Hack’s mouth hung open as he stared at Meggie and Sax.
“Don’t be rude, Hack,” Beol said.
Meanwhile, Meggie and Sax were looking around, wide-eyed, and Beck felt like shit. He should have figured out a way for them to leave the damn house.
Gregor and Becca herded the women toward a shuttle while Beol waited on them, Bloop in his arms.
“We brought a private shuttle.” Selene held her hand out to Icarus. “Come along, son.”
“Son?” Icarus tilted his head, looking eerily like Selene.
“Beck explained he modeled you after me.” Selene looked him over. “I see the similarities. He should have told me sooner, but I’ve decided to forgive him.”
Icarus grinned. “Okay, Mom.”
Beol cleared his throat and shot Selene a poisonous look. “Are we ready?”
“We are.” Icarus puffed his chest out. He smirked at Sax and Meggie. “Hear that? I have two dads and a mom already.”
Beck led him to the shuttle. “Dads?”
Icarus smiled shyly. “Well, Beol will be my dad, right?”
Beol shot Selene a smug look. “Yes, Icarus. I will be.”
Sax looked at Gregor. “Dad, when do I get a mom?”
Gregor winced. “It may be a while, sweetie. My dating record isn’t great.”
“I’ll let you borrow my mom, Sax.” Icarus sent Sax an adoring look. “I just got her, but I know she’s great.”
Beck sat up straight. Oh no. Icarus was too young to be adoring anyone, damn it.
Meggie snickered. “That’s not really how moms work, Icarus. By the way, I’m borrowing Beol. Mom dates as much as Gregor does, which is not at all. You have two dads, so you can spare one when I need him.”
“What do you need him for?” Icarus gave her a dark look. “I just got him, so you better not break him.”
A short and disturbing ride later, they arrived at the central sector where the Council was gathered in a formal conference room. Selene and Hack stayed with the androids in the private waiting area outside the door while Beck and the others went in.
A thoroughly disgruntled Fasi met them at the door. “You’re here. Good. Now what the hell is going on?”
The Council gathered around the conference table, chattering as they waited. They quieted as Beck, Gregor, and Becca approached the front of the room.
“Thanks for seeing us.” Beck’s tail was in his hand before he realized it. He absolutely hated being the center of attention, but Icarus and the girls were worth it.
Fasi plopped in a chair. “We’ll always have time for you, Beck. So, what’s happening here? I didn’t know you were acquainted with Becca and Gregor.”
“We met in a bar.” Gregor winced. “We really need to quit saying that and maybe start the story somewhere else.”
Becca cleared her throat. “To clarify our purpose here, Councilmen and women, we three are friends that have created something wonderful. We need your help to protect our creations.”
Councilman Delino gave her a half-smile. “The Council isn’t usually called in to file a patent—not that we’re not curious about what three of Charybdis Station’s most brilliant citizens created.”
Becca blushed, and Beck and Gregor exchanged a surprised look. Becca was the steadiest of them. She didn’t blush.
Beck grunted. Huh.
Beol stepped forward, confident and calm. “What they created is completely unknown to the galaxy. It is completely unique, and they are requesting the Council’s help in protecting it.”
“Guild Master Beol.” Delino nodded to him. He looked around at the other Council members. “You have our interest.”
“We’ve created sentient androids,” Beck blurted out. “They’re our babies. You gotta help us keep them safe. Please?”
Fasi jumped up when Beck started to cry. “Beck, it’ll be alright. Don’t cry, son.” He hugged Beck tightly.
“I’m sorry. I’m no good at talking, and this is important. They’re not just some weapon that’s gonna make fighting easier.” Beck’s face was hot with embarrassment, but his tears wouldn’t stop.
Beol slipped under his arm and wrapped his arms around Beck’s waist.
“I’m right with you, man.” Gregor wiped his own eyes. “These are our babies. Becca, can you explain it?”
She cleared her throat. “As Beck said, we’ve created sentient androids. They are not controllable or predictable. They are complete individuals who just happened to be created rather than birthed.”
Councilwoman Brinanda looked at them in amazement. “Sentient?”
“Yes,” Becca answered, then walked to the door. “I’ll let you meet them now.”
She opened the door and Hack and Selene led Icarus, Sax, and Meggie into the room.
Fasi squeezed Beck and Beol. “I won’t let anyone hurt them, Beck. I promise you,” he whispered. He let them go and stepped back. “Hack. You knew about this?”
“Just found out.” Hack crossed his arms and glared at the Council. “Who made Beck cry?”
“No one did. Geez, Hack.” Beck kept Beol in his arms but held his head high.
“Will you introduce us?” Councilman Mitchell stood, and the others followed suit.
Gregor took Sax’s hand. “This is my daughter, Sax. I’m the one who planned her features and traits, but once someone is sentient, they’re an individual.”
Sax smiled at her dad. “Dad loves music. He wanted to create a perfect musician, so he gave me a kick-ass voice and an ability with instruments.”
“She’s so damn talented.” Gregor grinned proudly.
“I am,” she agreed, smirking. “I’m not going to be a musician though. I want to protect people. Charybdis Station isn’t a mercenary station anymore.” She looked over her shoulder at Beol, before again addressing the Council. “Everything has a season, and Charybdis Station has become something more than it was. I’ve been training, and I’m going to be a soldier.”
“Are you?” Brinanda arched a brow.
“She’ll be part of my personal crew, as soon as the Lord Admiral gives his approval,” Hack said.
“I’ll enjoy furthering her training,” Selene said, face expressionless as usual.
Mitchell grinned. “We’ll see.”
Becca stepped forward. “This is Meggie. I’m the one who planned her creation.”
Meggie grinned at the Council and waved.
Becca laughed softly. “I wanted to create a more efficient field medic. Meggie was designed to provide injured persons with quality care, fast and effectively. I had thought she would be practical and subservient.”
Meggie made a face, and the Council members chuckled.
Becca gestured to her plain clothes and short, practical hair. “If you will notice, I’m not the most stylish person. It’s not something I’ve ever found important, so I never thought my daughter would be so consumed with fashion. I certainly didn’t create her that way. She is her own person and deserves to be seen as an individual.”
Meggie nodded firmly. “I’ll happily be the most fashionable medic on Charybdis Station, but not forever. Medics have an important job, and the gods know they’re needed, but I want to be a doctor. I feel I could help the most people by following in Mom’s footsteps.”
Hack gave an exaggerated gasp. “What? The Blue Fleet happens to need more medics. You could join us until you go to school. Then, you can join us as a doctor.”
Fasi grinned. “What a wonderful coincidence.”
Beck pulled Icarus to him, wrapping an arm around his son’s shoulders. Icarus looked as nervous as Beck. He had a feeling Icarus had inherited more than his creative mind.
“This is my son, Icarus. I love him more than anything.”
“Oh, Beck.” Fasi gave him a soft look.
“I thought he’d be like Selene, a soldier, so I made him big and gave him certain skills.”
“I’m his mother,” Selene said, coming to stand on Icarus’s other side.
Icarus smiled shyly at the Council. “I’m not going to be a soldier though. I could fight, if I had to, but I love making food and caring for things. I love Dr. Bloop and Tinker, and I’m really good at keeping plants alive. I have a fern named Fawn.”
Hack shook his head. “Imagine that. Blue Sector could always use someone to help in the gardens and at Juniper’s Diner. My family alone could keep him busy as a pet-sitter and landscaper. So many possibilities.”
“We’ve compiled the evidence of sentience we gathered after their creations,” Becca said. “We know you’ll need to run more tests under the surveillance of different scientists, but we would be happy to share our own findings as well.”
Delino gave her a heated look. “Thank you, Dr. Rayne.”
This time Fasi and Hack exchanged looks with Beck. Delino wasn’t known for his heated looks. Beck shrugged. Who knew what would happen?
“Three complete individuals,” Mitchell said. “It’s a pleasure to meet each of you.”
“I think we can all understand the fears you have,” Delino said. “What you’ve done is beyond belief. Scientists have tried for millennia to create sentient beings.”
Mitchell nodded. “He’s quite right. Now, this raises some complicated questions, and it won’t be an easy process, but if we eventually agreed to grant them citizenship, is it as a species or as three individual cases?”
“What he means is: do you intend to make more?” Brinanda watched them carefully.
Becca turned to him. “What do you say, Beck? You do the brunt of the work.”
“I have made two more and started a few others that are different from the kids,” he admitted.
Tinker chose that moment to poke her head out of Beol’s jacket. Bloop woofed and trotted over to say hello.
Beck quickly explained Tinker and his other, smaller, creations.
“Two separate types of sentient androids,” Brinanda mused. “You don’t make things easy, do you?”
Beck took a deep breath. “I would love to create more like Icarus and the girls. They make the galaxy brighter, and I can’t see why that would be a bad thing, but I won’t as long as there’s a chance they won’t be seen as people.”
“Then the best way forward will be to aim for citizenship as a species,” Delino said. “What is their species?”
“Bracken,” Gregor and Becca said at the same time. They shared a grin.
“Gregor and I talked about it last night,” Becca said. “Beck Brackenstone gave us our girls, well, young women, as Meggie would say.”
“I like it.” Fasi whooped and looked at the Council. “Want to make history?”
Brinanda rolled her eyes and laughed with the rest of the Council. “We knew you’d bring the station in a new direction, Fasi, but this isn’t something I ever foresaw.”
“What about Tinker?” Beol smiled when his fairy flew to him and perched on his head.
Councilwoman Jalina gave Tinker a thoughtful look. “Beck’s smaller creations aren’t like the others, but they aren’t simple androids. What about starting the process to make them a protected animal species? We’ve done that with the Radollia on Grellweir.”
“That would fit them best, I think.” Beck nibbled his lip. “Tinker has emotions and is super smart, but she’s not reasoning like a person. She reminds me of Dr. Bloop.”
“They will need a separate name,” Jalina said. “We must differentiate them from the Bracken.”
“How about Charybdis Fyrlings?” Becca looked between Beck and Gregor. “We can’t call them all fairies. There’s that toad-looking thing you’ve been working on.”
“How many are you planning to make, Beck?” Hack grinned at him.
“I haven’t finished any more,” Beck said, blushing. He had four ready to go and several in different stages of completion. They were all so adorable.
“I would like to make one thing clear,” Beol said. “You will find that they are sentient, but until you are able to grant them citizenship and recognition as a species, the Bracken and the Fyrlings are under the protection of Half-Moon.”
“That isn’t a bad idea,” Fasi said. “I would love to believe that every person on our station would respect Beck and his creations, but I’ve been disappointed before.”
“Shall we vote on beginning the process?” Delino looked over the Council. “While the Lord Admiral does have the final say, it will hold weight if we show our own support.”
“I second the call for a vote,” Mitchell said with a grin. “As Fasi said, let’s make history.”
“Who agrees to begin the process of proving the sentience of the Bracken and the Charybdis Fyrlings?” Fasi looked around the room.
All six Council members raised their hands.
Chapter 8
Beol held Beck’s hand as they walked back to the shuttle. The whole group was silent. The Council had given their support, but there was a lot left to do. One thing in particular worried Beol.
“Beck, can we talk alone for a minute?”
Beck nodded, and they fell behind the others. “What’s wrong? This went really well, didn’t it?”
“It went a lot better than expected. Every Council member seemed to be supportive.” Beol took both of Beck’s hands in his own. “You and I are mates, and very soon, we’ll be lovers.”
Beck blushed but grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“We also need to be able to protect the Bracken and Fyrlings.”
“Yeah, we do.” Beck’s face was full of misery. “I want them to be able to leave the house.”
“I want you all to move into the Half-Moon neighborhood.” Beck’s face lit up. Beol continued, “Hack and your friends can’t keep an eye on Rus and the others like we can. No one enters the neighborhood who hasn’t been approved by me personally, and someone is always on patrol.”
Beck’s shoulders slumped. “You want me to move in just so you can protect Icarus, Meggie, and Sax?”
Beol stroked his cheek. “No. I want you to move in because I hate it when we’re apart. I want Icarus to move in because he’s going to be my son soon. I want the others to move in so we can keep them safe.”
“I’ll need a workshop.”
“Pops has already marked a large room in the back of the house for your workshop. He pointed it out last time he visited.”
“I can’t believe they visited you and they didn’t tell me.” Beck made a face.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about my grandbaby!”
Beol and Beck turned around to find Ma and Pops standing behind them. They both looked furious.
“We just got a message from Fasi telling us you have a son named Icarus,” Pops said. “What’s going on, young man?”
“Fasi’s a bigmouth,” Beck said, pouting.
Beol chuckled. “You sound like Meggie.”
“Beol! You’re in trouble too, mister.” Ma’s hands went to her hips, and Beol was reminded of Leti. Fuck, he would probably be doing that too soon enough.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled and bent to pick up Bloop.
“It’s complicated, Ma.” Beck grabbed her hand and started tugging. “Come on. Let’s get to the house, and I’ll explain.”
“I’m so proud of you, Beck.” Pops sniffled. “I can’t believe the three of you did this. I’m just, gods, I’m just so amazed.”
“I knew that mind of yours was special,” Ma said, tears streaming down her face as she hugged Icarus to her. “I just didn’t realize it was this special. Oh, Icarus, I’m so happy to meet you.”
“Grandma, come on. I want to show you my recipe box. Dad said you keep a digital copy and a physical copy of yours, so I did the same with mine. Dad built me a really nice box and everything.”
