Page 63 of Rebels Rising

Addy stepped up beside him. ‘I can teach him while you sort out the rest, Captain,’ she offered.

Artemis looked to Reece, a question in his gaze, but he merely shot her a reassuring smile. ‘Go on. Addy’s got me. You need to sort out the rest of the ship.’

She patted his arm then turned to face Xander. ‘We need to secure the children, and someone needs to keep an eye on our stowaway in case he tries something.’

‘He won’t try anything A. He’s on our side,’ Liberty’s voice drifted over, startling me. I’d completely forgotten the call was still active.

Artemis faced her friend, her expression grim and apologetic. ‘I trust you Libs, but I don’t trust him. I can’t risk everyone on board.’

Liberty’s lips thinned into a straight line but she conceded without any further argument. ‘I get it. After T… I get it.’

‘Speaking of, where is Tormik?’ I asked.

‘That’s his name?’ Liberty asked, her nose scrunched in disgust.

My curiosity over the entire Tormik situation was reaching its peak, but it still wasn’t any of my business so I held back. As my ma would say, my nose did not belong over there.

‘Actually, Dorian has a point. Bromm, did you see Cameron with T or his mother at all?’

He shook his head no. ‘They’ve been in the same vicinity as they’ve started volunteering with the kids as well, but other than that there have been no interactions between them that I’ve seen.’

‘Well, let’s keep an eye on them all the same. Urman, you’re volunteering, right?’

‘I am,’ he confirmed.

‘You’re now my eyes on the inside. I want you to report back to me after every shift, and if there’s any suspicious activity then inform me immediately.’

‘Understood, Captain.’

‘Xander, I need you to find Foryk and fill him in. I could use a second pair of eyes in the cafeteria, and he’s surprisingly good with kids anyway. I’m not sure how close he is with his family, but until they can prove they can be trusted, we don’t trust them. Not completely.’

‘Understood, Captain. I’ll get right on that.’

‘I’ll send updates to your holo-tabs every turn. If you don’t have one, stick close to someone who does,’ she instructed, then her eyes met mine and I knew I wasn’t going to like what she had to say.

‘I’m going to need a sitter, Dorian. You up for the job?’

I groaned long and low. ‘No, but do I have much of a choice?’

She smirked, amusement turning her eyes from an almost black shade to lighter, more amber brown. ‘Unfortunately not. It’s all hands on deck, soldier. I need someone I trust to take care of them.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ I promised, though if I would be able to keep that promise I had no idea. In fact, I sincerely doubted it. I may have been well-versed with kids, but those two were T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

She handed me the small blonde boy and I took him without complaint, especially when his first act in my care was to gaze up at me with those big green eyes then rest his head on my shoulder and promptly fall asleep. My heart melted, and I was a goner.

I held wrapped my free arm around him, hugging him to me and I knew I would give my life for him without a second thought. It should have scared me, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

‘Come on, little guy. Let’s get you settled somewhere safe.’ I twisted around to find Dave Junior eyeing up Baldr like he was just waiting for the moment to chow down on him. I could practically see him salivating, and it sent a shiver up my spine. I was going to need to keep an extra close eye on him to keep him from devouring Baldr. Or any kids, for that matter, but it seemed he was awfully fixated on the sweet blonde boy.

‘Okay, buddy. Let’s go somewhere less populated, hmm?’ I cooed at the oversized animal I was trying my best think of as a pet rather than the killing machine they were depicted as in the stories, hoping he’d see me as a friend and follow without a fuss. He didn’t of course. All six if his red eyes zeroed in on me with narrowed intent, and I got the feeling he was glaring at melike I was the only thing standing between him and his meal. Actually, in that moment, I probably was.

I glanced anxiously towards where Artemis and the others infected with the nanites had moved further inside the cockpit, already deep in discussion. I didn’t want to interrupt. I’d been given a task by my captain and I should be able to see it through. So what if it was babysitting duty? It was just two younglings that needed me to watch over them while their guardian was busy. No big deal.

I took a tentative step out the door and patted my leg, calling for Dave Junior to follow. Instead, as soon as my toe touched the floor outside the cockpit he released a deep, menacing growl that was more vibration that sound. It caught the attention of the others and Artemis shot me a worried look.

I didn’t want to look like a wuss, like I wasn’t capable to the simple task I’d been given, but it was soon clear that this assignment was anything but simple. One more step outside caused him to release a snarl that had shivers wracking my entire body. Bal lifted his head and blinked blearily at the Kikshrut, then did something that almost knocked me over with shock.

I had only ever seen him try to play with the animal, annoying him in the process but always pushing forward as if that in itself was fun and games. Not once had I ever seen this little boy lose his temper, least of all with Dave Junior. But that was exactly what happened. He scowled at Dave Junior, wrapped his arms around me neck and started babbling angrily, waving a finger in his direction like that was all it would take to ward him off.

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