by I. T. Lucas
William’s smart eyes filled with compassion. “It’s not about the other couples, is it?”
“It is, but it’s also about Rufsur and me. We want to be together, but neither of us can leave and cross over to the other side.”
He nodded. “You can count on my help.”
“Thank you.”
53
Kalugal
“Good morning, Rufsur.” Kalugal put the newspaper down. “Or rather good afternoon. I didn’t expect to see you until dinner at Kian’s.”
Usually, he read the news online, but there was nothing like holding an actual newspaper in his hands and browsing through sections that he would have been unaware of otherwise.
It had been such a nice surprise to discover that the clan had a daily delivery of various newspapers, and that they were free for anyone to take. Most read them in the café and returned them to the stack when they were done, but Kalugal figured it was okay to take a few home with him and return them later.
Jacki cast Rufsur a worried look. “Is everything alright? You look agitated.”
“Everything is fine, but I need to talk to Kalugal.” He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Man to man. I need his advice on something. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. You guys have been best friends for decades. I’m the newcomer.”
Kalugal wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I have no secrets from you. Whatever Rufsur wants to talk to me about, he can say it in front of you.”
Cupping his cheek, she leaned and kissed him on the lips. “That might be true for you, but not for Rufsur. He doesn’t have to share with me anything he doesn’t want to.” She leaned back against the couch’s overstuffed cushions and gave his back a shove. “You can go outside and have your man-to-man talk in the backyard.”
“Are you sure that you don’t mind?”
“I’m sure.” She reached for the television remote. “I’ll watch the latest Jumanji movie. I just love Dwayne Johnson. Usually, I don’t like bald men, but he is so handsome even without hair. He has such a charming smile.”
“Right.” Kalugal grimaced. “It’s all about the smile. The mountain of muscles has nothing to do with his screen appeal.”
Laughing, Jacki gave him another shove. “Go already. And just for your information, it is the smile. If I was only interested in muscles, I would watch a nature documentary about gorillas.”
That wrested a chuckle out of Rufsur, who up until then had seemed so tense that Kalugal suspected that he was itching for a fistfight, not a talk.
Would the cuff activate if he used his compulsion power on one of his own? Not that he anticipated a need for it, but it was an interesting hypothetical question. Relying on his ability to compel an attacker, Kalugal hadn’t been training as seriously as he should, and Rufsur could probably overpower him with ease.
Out in the backyard, he activated the fountain the way Kian had shown him and sat on the rim. “What’s bugging you, Rufsur?”
His lieutenant didn’t join him on the fountain’s surround. Instead, he dragged over two chairs, which implied that this wasn’t going to be a short talk.
“This will be more comfortable.” Rufsur sat down and motioned for Kalugal to join him.
“Thank you.”
“I need your advice.”
“You’ve already said that.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m trying to find the right words.” Rufsur rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “It’s about Edna and me.”
Kalugal lifted a brow. “Trouble in paradise?”
“On the contrary. We are talking about having a child together.”
“Not a good idea. Given how we grew up, neither of us knows much about parenting, but I imagine that it would be difficult for you to see your child only once in a while.”
“That’s why I need your advice. What should I do?”
“Is Edna willing to leave the village and come live with you?”
“She can’t. As a councilwoman, she knows too much, and Kian would never allow her to do that. Besides, it’s an important position, and I wouldn’t ask her to give it up for me.”
Kalugal frowned. Was Rufsur preparing the ground for announcing that he was leaving? After all they’d been through together? They were supposed to be best friends, and to watch each other’s backs for all time. Was Rufsur willing to throw all of that away for a woman he’d known only a few days?
“Don’t tell me that you are asking my permission to join the clan. I won’t try to stop you, but I won’t give you my blessing either. I need you by my side. And that’s not even the major issue. If you join the clan, the other men will feel free to do so as well. I will be left with no one.”
“I won’t leave you. When we escaped the Brotherhood, I bound my life to yours. That’s never going to change.”
Kalugal let out a relieved breath. “For a moment there, you had me worried.”
“I don’t want to leave. What I want is for you to use that formidable brain of yours and think of another solution to my problem.”
Kalugal shrugged. “Easy. Choose a different female, one who will have no problem leaving the clan to be with you, which is probably true for all the clan’s single ladies except for Edna.”
54
Rufsur
Rufsur felt the blood boiling in his veins, and it took all his willpower to refrain from swinging his fist at Kalugal’s face.
How could he be so callous? So clueless?
On the way to the house, Rufsur had come up with the idea of leading his boss to the same conclusion that he and Edna had reached instead of just presenting it. He’d found that tactic to be more effective in changing people’s views. It made them more receptive to new ideas than trying to spoon-feed them something that they didn’t find palatable.
Except, for it to work, Kalugal needed to have at least some basic emotional intelligence, or a smidgen of empathy, but evidently he had none. How could he have suggested that Rufsur choose another female? Had he even heard what had come out of his damn mouth?
“Listen to yourself, Kalugal. Would you have discarded Jacki and chosen a different woman just because of some difficulties along the way? Or would you have moved mountains to be with her no matter what?”
“Is that how strongly you feel about Edna?”
Rufsur threw his hands in the air. “Would I be here, talking to you because of a problem I’m having with a random hookup?”
Kalugal shrugged. “You did in the past. Remember that one girl who was obsessed with you? She looked for you in all the clubs in the area, and you asked me to help you get rid of her.”
“That was different. Somehow, she was resistant to thralling, or had very vivid dreams, and she remembered me no matter what I did. She obviously had a mental problem, and I was afraid she'd do some crazy shit like killing herself. I needed you to compel her to forget about me.”
“What about the girl that you thought you were in love with and wanted to marry?”
Rufsur waved a hand in dismissal. “That was a very long time ago, and I was young and stupid.” He smiled. “She was so beautiful and sweet, but I wasn’t really in love. I just thought that I was.”
“And she was also a manipulative bitch who wanted to marry a guy with money. What makes you think that Edna is the one? Maybe she’s just another infatuation? Face it, Rufsur, you are a smart guy until it comes to women. The so-called weaker sex is your Achilles heel.”
“This time it’s the real thing.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“How did you know that Jacki was the one?”
“I didn’t. Not right away. It took me a while to realize that.”
Rufsur chuckled. “Who are you trying to fool? Yourself? Because you are sure as hell not fooling me. You knew from the first moment you laid eyes on her that you wanted to keep her. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have offered Kian twenty-five thousand for every day that she stayed with you.”
> “I knew that Jacki was a Dormant. At the time, that fact alone was enough to make her very desirable to me. I wasn’t in love with her.”
“Damn, you are a cold fish.” Rufsur rubbed his hand over his jaw. “You’re a cerebral guy, which means that you listen to your brain and not your heart. That’s the only reason you couldn’t admit that she was the one and needed to prove it logically to yourself first.”
For a long moment, Kalugal didn’t respond, probably pondering what Rufsur had said. Then he nodded. “You might be right, but that still doesn’t prove anything.”
Rufsur pushed to his feet and started pacing. “In the two weeks between the visits, I was miserable without Edna. I kept thinking about her, wanted to touch her, talk to her. I couldn’t wait until I could hold her in my arms again. I couldn’t think of being with another woman. Hell, I didn’t even find my favorite movie girls desirable. I used to think that the Romulan spy chick in Star Trek Picard was so hot, and I was pissed when they killed her off in the last episode. But after meeting Edna, she didn’t do anything for me when I re-watched the first season.”
“Hmm.” Kalugal smoothed his hand over his short beard. “That actress looks a lot like Edna. Apparently, you have a type, which explains your attraction to the judge.”
Rufsur snorted. “The woman can’t hold a candle to my Edna.”
“Now, I believe that you’re in love.”
Rufsur glared at his boss. “Why? What does Narissa have over Edna?”
“Nothing.” Kalugal looked like he was stifling a chuckle. “The actress playing her is just a little taller, that’s all. But we digress. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.” He sighed and sat back down. “That’s why I came to you.”
“You must have something in mind.”
Kalugal knew him too well for him to continue the game he was trying to play. “Yesterday’s tour gave me an idea. What if we buy those plots from Kian? We can build our own village adjacent to the clan’s and keep our autonomy while benefiting from the security of a secluded location and the protection of the clan’s Guardian force.”
“I wish it was possible, but it’s not. Even if privacy was not an issue, all the startups I’m buying are in the Bay Area. But as you are well aware, privacy is a big issue for me. I don’t want Kian or anyone else in my business.”
“What if that could be solved? I’m not a tech guy, but Ruvon might have some ideas.”
“I like my independence and my anonymity, Rufsur. I don’t want to be subjected to anyone’s rule. Not my father’s, and not my cousin’s.”
“The clan and us could form a federation of independent communities. We can cooperate solely on safety issues and keep everything else autonomous.”
Kalugal shook his head. “That’s not doable. We are a community of forty-nine people. Are we going to have a fence between the clan and us, with border patrol and guard stations? How are we going to keep ourselves separate and private?”
“I’m sure that if you put your mind to it, you will find a solution. In my opinion, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. But it requires a shift in perspective and a willingness to compromise on your part and on Kian’s.” He leaned closer to Kalugal. “What’s more important? Your men’s futures, or having it your way and keeping everything precisely the same? You have a mate now, so that’s not an option in either case. And since change is inevitable, why not make it grand?”
55
Edna
When Edna returned home, she found Rufsur sitting on her front porch. “You could have come in. It’s not locked.”
He pushed to his feet and pulled her into a fierce hug.
Edna’s heart sank. Why did it feel as if he was saying goodbye?
“What happened?”
Letting go of her, he clasped her hand and opened the door. “I need a drink.”
“That bad, eh?”
“No, but not good either.” He went into the kitchen and started opening cabinets.
“You won’t find anything interesting in there. I still have only wine.”
“Right.” He pulled out a bottle. “Can I order a delivery to the village?”
“Not directly here. Deliveries go to a different location, and the Guardians bring them here.”
“Good enough.” Rufsur took the wine and two glasses to the living room. “Give me the details, and I’ll have booze delivered to you for my next visit.” He uncorked the bottle and poured wine into the two glasses.
Edna let out a relieved breath. He was still planning on coming back. “Just tell me what you like, and I’ll order it.”
He looked up at her. “You don’t trust me with the other address. Is that it?”
She sat next to him. “I’m sorry. But the other place is also a strategic location, and I can’t disclose the address.”
Shaking his head, he handed her one of the wine glasses. “A fine pair we are. Perhaps Kalugal is right, and this just can’t work.”
“What did he say?”
“The same in so many words. He feels for me and my problem, but there is too much mistrust on both sides for a federation to work. The best we can hope for is continued cooperation, but even that is tenuous. He suggested that I either choose someone else or resign myself to a long-distance relationship. After a lot of back and forth, the best he could offer me was an occasional three-day weekend off, which I can spend here with you.”
“That’s better than what we have now. We can make it work.”
He put his arm around her. “I want to come home to you every evening and wake up next to you every morning. Anything else is going to be painful.”
“Do we have a choice?”
“In the meantime, we take what we can, but I’m not giving up yet. Did William have any suggestions?”
“He said that it’s not a problem to have two completely independent communication systems using the same satellite. They will each have their own encryption, so privacy will not be an issue.”
Rufsur snorted. “That might be true, but as I said, Kalugal is not going to trust a system designed by William, and Kian will not allow access to the clan’s satellite to anyone else.”
“What if he allows independent testing? I don’t understand how these things work, but maybe you can get an outside expert to test what William did. After Kalugal is reassured that there are no back doors and that the system is safe, we will thrall that person to forget it.”
Rufsur shook his head. “The only way Kalugal might consider it is if the entire encryption is done by an outsider.”
“Perhaps Kian will agree to that. I don’t think it will take an expert more than two weeks to do, right? That’s the usual limit on thralling memories away without causing brain damage.”
“I have no idea.” Rufsur emptied the wine down his throat and refilled his glass. “All that technical stuff is way over my head.”
“William promised to help in any way he can. If anyone can solve this conundrum, it’s him. I can also talk to Onegus about possible security measures.” She took a sip of wine. “The best one to talk to, though, is Turner. If I can convince him to help us, and he comes up with a good plan, Kian will listen to him.”
“Because he is so smart?”
“No, because he is even more paranoid than Kian.”
“Then you should definitely try to get him on board.”
“But what about Kalugal? Even if I manage to bring Kian over to our side, it’s not going to work if your boss is categorically against it.”
Rufsur smiled. “I will get outside help as well.”
“Who?”
“Jacki.”
“He’s not going to listen to her. She is not a tech person or a safety expert.”
“She’s his mate, and he trusts her. Not only that, he wants her to be happy, and Jacki would be most happy living in the village. I believe that she can help change his mind.”
56
Amanda
“Go.”
Amanda kissed Dalhu’s cheek. “I know that you don’t want to be here.”
As usual, they were the last couple to arrive, and all the men were already outside, sucking on Kian’s disgusting cigarillos.
Dalhu would feel uncomfortable being the only guy in a room full of women, but he would also feel awkward with Kalugal and Rufsur. He didn’t like to hang out with former Doomers, even those who had severed all ties to the Brotherhood long before he had.
Looking out the living room’s sliding doors, he shook his head. “They look like they are talking about something important, and I don’t want to interrupt. I can sit on the front porch with the Guardians.”
As per her suggestion, Atzil and Ruvon had been excused from attending the dinner so they could sit in the café and enjoy the view, meaning the clan ladies coming to check them out. Surprisingly, Kalugal hadn’t objected, and neither had Rufsur who up until now had seemed more concerned about his boss’s safety than the guy himself.
“You are just being shy.” Amanda patted Dalhu’s arm. “We talked about it, darling. You need to start mingling more.” She opened the sliding door. “Hi, guys. What are you talking about?”
Kalugal smiled. “Come join us and find out.”
“Not while you guys are smoking. But Dalhu doesn’t mind the smell.” She gave her mate a shove out. “Have fun, darling.”
Turning around, she clapped her hands. “Now, I can enjoy a few quiet moments with my favorite ladies.” She sat next to Edna, who had a sour expression on her face like she’d sucked on a lemon and couldn’t wait to spit it out. “You seem troubled. Are you sad that Rufsur is leaving?”
“I’m not happy about it. But it is what it is. There isn’t much I can do about it.”