by Doug Farren
“Delicious! Very crunchy and juicy,” Lashpa replied. “Do you know if they could be raised on another planet?”
“Notice anything?” Tom asked, before anyone could answer Lashpa’s question. After a moment of silence, he said, “Rouldians express emotion through how they hold and move their tail. Although Lashpa can control her tail’s major movements, she can no longer express herself in a manner recognizable by another Rouldian. And, even though her legs are artificial, they don’t move as smoothly as her natural ones. If she wasn’t a cyborg, she would be walking with a noticeable limp.”
“What about brain implants?” Cassandra asked.
Tom shook his head. “The brain’s connection to our body is far too complex for something like that. The signals to my hand can originate from many different locations. When peacekeepers are fitted with our cybernetics, there is a significant period of time before the interface learns how to control all the tiny movements we take for granted.”
Lashpa set her lobster down. “There are some experimental procedures the Omel are working on that might be able to bypass the damaged nerves. But the there’s a risk of causing more damage.”
“So, your career as a peacekeeper is over?” John asked. “The both of you?”
Lashpa wiped her mouth with a towel-sized napkin and said, “Tom and I could have taken a different position within the peacekeeper organization. But, after talking about it for a long time, we decided we would not be happy reading the reports of other field agents doing what we could no longer do. We decided to retire.”
“But you still look like peacekeepers,” Paula said.
“And you still have your ships,” Cassandra added.
“Officially,” Tom replied. “We will always be peacekeepers. We still have the full authority of the Grand Council behind us and the authority to enforce Alliance law even in retirement. Who knows, we might get bored and decide to go back to work. There’s a lot we can do, if we chose.”
Lashpa tapped the top of her head. “Most of our cybernetics can’t be removed. Because of this, our ships will be needed to keep an eye on us. The ships are still armed, but they no longer carry any missiles.”
“Are you both staying here, or just you?” Cassandra asked, directing her question at her brother.
“Both of us,” Tom replied. “Lashpa’s disability makes it very awkward for her around other Rouldians.”
“Tom’s right,” Lashpa said. “I’m perfectly happy to be around Terrans. On Fanish or Roulda, I would be viewed as a social outcast. Even if everyone treated me with the utmost respect, they would unconsciously continuously remind me of my disability. How do you think Terrans would react to someone who could no longer smile, or show anger, or even wink?”
Paula reached over and grabbed Lashpa’s hand. “You will always be welcome here.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you planning on staying in your ships or are you going to buy a house?” John asked.
“I’ve been in touch with a local real estate agent,” Tom said. “She has no idea she’s dealing with a peacekeeper though. There’s an old farmhouse sitting on about 40 acres of land out on State road 89 about ten kilometers from Clemson Avenue on the west side of town. We’re going to buy it.”
“The old Hanover farm?” Paula asked. “That place has been abandoned for years and isn’t fit for animals to live in.”
“That’s fine,” Tom replied. “On the trip here, Lashpa and I designed our own house. It will accommodate the both of us as well as Rouldian and Terran guests. There’s plenty of room on the property to put in a landing pad for both our ships as well.”
“Well then,” John said, raising his glass of wine. “I’d like to be the first to welcome you to our little corner of the universe.”
Paula picked up her glass and raised it, “To our new residents and neighbors!”
“To family,” Cassandra said, her glass clinking against the other two at the center of the table.
Lashpa and Tom raised their own glasses and joined the others. “To family and friends,” they said in unison.
<<<< END >>>>
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Other books by Doug Farren:
Galactic Alliance Series
Book 1 – Translight
Book 2 – Chroniech
Book 3 – Honor Thy Enemy
Book 4 – Peacekeeper
Book 5 – Peacekeeper 2
Book 6 – Peacekeeper: Pathogen
Book 7 – Peacekeeper: God Complex
Dragonverse Series
Book 1 – The Adventure Begins
Book 2 – Ishnef’s Revenge
Book 3 – Dragonverse Origins
The below two books link into the Dragonverse series but at a much later date:
Off Course
Collision Course
Singles
When Ships Mutiny
Author contact information
Author email: [email protected]
Twitter: @author_farren
Web page: http://dougfarren.com/
About the Author
Doug Farren is a self-published author who published his first book in 2009. He is a proud member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America). He mainly writes space-opera style military science fiction as well as science fiction fantasy. Doug is a U.S. Navy veteran having spent 11 years in the Navy as a nuclear electronics technician. At the time of this publication, he was working at a nuclear power plant as a Database Administrator in the Work Management department.