Page 11 of Rebels Rising

‘Dave. Junior.’ Artemis’s voice cut through the tension. Shocking the shit out of me – and the rest of us, if their gawping was any indication – the thing actually backed down.

‘You are in so much trouble, mister,’ she chastised, and he actually cowered back beneath the cot. He attempted to lick her hand, but when she didn’t react beyond resting her hands on her hips he covered his many eyes with his paws and let out a pathetic little whimper.

When Bal let out another squeal, Dave Junior (I would have to ask her why she chosethatname out of all the possibilities out there) moved his giant paws away from his eyes just far enough to glare at the little blonde boy.

It was then that I started to question just what we’d gotten ourselves into.

CHAPTER 4

Artemis

The soldiers were a lot easier to get settled than the babies, but that didn’t come as a shock to anyone. It took less than a turn to assign everyone rooms, but we were over capacity so we also had to come up with a sleep shift schedule. I didn’t feel bad about that since it wasn’t an unusual circumstance within the military. I was pretty sure a few people had transformed some closets into their own personal quarters to avoid the sharing, and I felt guilty for not sharing my own room. That guilt only lasted for a moment though. I had my reasons for needing my privacy.

The problem came in figuring out where to put the children. They needed someplace safe where they could roam freely without getting into anything that could be harmful to themselves or the ship. The only room we could really convert into what was essentially an orphanage was the cafeteria. It was the only area large enough to fit everyone inside, and the tables were easy enough to remove to make space for makeshift beds.

Fortunately, there were ample volunteers for babysitting duty so at least I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they were safe and looked after. Currently, they were working at building a sort of nest out of all the spare blankets and pillows we could find, but it was sparse and not the best. They would be fine, though. It was a sad reality, but these children were all used to sleeping in less than comfortable places. The few bits of padding they did have were more than they’d be used to.

I was keeping Baldr with me though. My schedule was packed full for the foreseeable future, so it at least eased my mind to have the option of childcare available if I needed it with plenty of friends for Bal to play with and keep him occupied.

And Iwouldneed it, that much was obvious.

My newly acquired title of Captain was more of a blow than an honour, but I would perform those duties to the best of my abilities. I had zero interestin taking charge, or being responsible for so many people, but alas, I kept finding myself in must that position.

One thing I was the most concerned about was Captain Hironimus’s reaction to losing that status. I kept using that title for him because at the end of the day he’d earned it, but without a ship of his own it wasn’t exactly true.

I would have gladly handed mine over to him, except I still wasn’t entirely comfortable with him. Trust was earned, and while he hadn’t actually done anything to lose any trust my previous assumptions about him had cast a shadow over our relationship that I couldn’t completely shake.

After recent revelations, I knew he didn’t deserve my distrust so I put on a brave face whenever he was in the room, but I had high hopes that I could move past it enough to pawn off as much of the captain duties on him as I could. Maybe one day I would even trust him enough to hand them over completely, because Ireallydidn’t want the job. His knowledge and experience would definitely come in useful in the coming days if he allowed me to use him.

None of the assuaged the sharp sting I felt whenever I saw him and Addy together, however. The love and trust between them was blatantly apparent and it reminded me of where Bromm and I were heading, and it rubbed salt in the wound that they could be so open with each other while Bromm was stuck in a coma. I missed him.

It was also a bittersweet reminder of what I’d thought I’d once had with T, until he’d proven me wrong. I didn’t necessarily regret my feelings for him, but I certainly learned the hard way that giving my heart to the first person who showed me kindness wasn’t the best choice. And while I had moved on and was building something real with someone else, I still felt that old ache in my chest at the thought of us being under the same roof. He was so close, but nothing would ever be the same between us. There was too much bad blood.

He was something I was actively avoiding. T’s presence, his connection to Foryk, the death of his father and that awful encounter with his mother… I was going to ignore all of that until I was forced to acknowledge it and just hoped it wouldn’t be for a good long while.

I would have gone to the infirmary, but it was packed full of injured soldiers needing medical assistance which was how I found myself hiding in my room. Well, as much as I could with the lack of a door thanks to DaveJunior. I was having a snuggle with Bal with Dave Junior curled up asleep in the corner, all of us taking a break from the overstimulation of a full ship when Addy found me. Captain Hironimus was a step behind her, a constant protector. I understood it, having experienced that type of separation before myself.

‘Hey, can we come in?’ she asked, and I moved over on the bed, patting the space beside me in an invitation for her to sit. I didn’t bother offering the same to the captain, already knowing he would refuse in favour of standing. Or looming. He did seem to love to loom.

She practically bounced over to me, jumping up on the bed. Literally. She was too small to just sit so she had to launch herself up.

Bal’s head was resting against my chest, and he turned to squish the other cheek against me instead to get a better look at the newcomer. I should have expected him to be curious about Addy, her bright pink colouring a vast difference from the typically muted, earthy tones of the people he’d so far been exposed to. Besides the Tornus, of course, but they were larger and scarier than the dinky, bubbly woman currently next to me.

I sent a tired grin her way, pleased to see her more like her old self even after everything she’d been through. My exhaustion was a combination of overwhelm and my body’s need for rest and rejuvenation, but I couldn’t stop just yet. There was still too much to do before I could stop, so I tried not to think too much about it.

No point in taunting myself with something I couldn’t have just yet.

‘How are you doing?’ she asked, and I huffed a quick laugh.

‘Isn’t that what I’m supposed to ask you?’

Her smile dimmed a little, but a darting glance towards her tense boyfriend had her forcing it back to its original brightness. I wanted to frown, not liking the way she was pretending in front of the captain, but I held it at bay. It wasn’t my place to dictate her behaviour or her decisions, and she must have had her reasons.

Perhaps she’d open up about it when we were alone. If we could manage to get each other alone at all. Both of us were constantly being followed by someone or another.

Bal reached a sleepy hand out to Addy, and she took that as an opportunity to hold onto him and rest her head on my shoulder in the process. Ignoringthe captain and his suddenly rigid stance, I wrapped my arm around her waist and tugged her closer to me so she didn’t have to crane her neck to rest it against me.

I dropped a kiss on top of Bal’s head, enjoying having him in my arms again after so much time spent apart and worrying. I’d given him a thorough check-up when I first entered the bedroom, and it was both a relief and a concern to find the cuts caused by the scientists already healed, not a scar in sight. I didn’t want to draw anymore blood from him to confirm what I already knew, but he was riddled with nanites just like me and his mother. The metallic sheen that had glittered amid the dry blood on his skin was confirmation enough.

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