Sang the Setari

13. Stone and Sword

Interface Channel: Private
Users: Owen Blackbourne, Sean Green

S: 😤 What are you thinking!?!???!! I swear you are the most asinine, foolish...gah! I don't even have words for this.

O: Are we really having this conversation now?

S: Yes, because you just ran away after that nonsense about a platonic relationship!  Fine, come back and we will discuss this face-to-face.😠

O: I will return later.

S: No! And no excuses. We all talked to her and she was good with the plan...happy even...Then YOU talk to her,  and now she is devastated.

O: What do you want me to do Sean!?

S: I don't know, but you broke her...you need to fix it...or...or I'll move out!

O: What do you mean? You can't randomly reassign your own quarters.

S: I want to be with Sang and we are not going to tiptoe around you in the apartment.  So I'll just stay in the others' places like Sang does.

O: That's ridiculous.

S: You're right....Sang likes our bathtub...so I'll kick you out.

....

S: What? No response?

O: Sean...look, we will talk later...no one is moving out...everything will be fine. We've already talked about why it has to be this way....She is not ready for an 'us'....not yet.

S: I doubt anyone has more control over their abilities or their actions than you, but whatever...I told her to do as you said and give herself time to consider things...

O: Thank you...And Sean, in the end this will work out for the best.

S: I hope you are right.

O: Also, I am sending a message to Lee. He needs to assign two guards to Sang at all times.  We can't take the chance that the Nurian won't try to forcibly 'rescue' her.  It was negligent of me not to consider this before she came to the Hydroponics level by herself. That was reckless.  I don't want to fathom....no, I won't say it. I need to focus, complete this assignment...just please keep an eye on her.

S: Don't worry. We will take care of our girl. When do you think this investigation will be wrapped up?

O: Soon, hopefully. The evidence we have against McCoy is solid, but we're trying to find proof of the link with Hendricks.  There's also a high probability that Lehanti Crowley is connected too.

S: Ah, so you are on Konna. You made it to that meeting too fast to come all the way from Kessine.

O: Yes, the Kessine matter was a cover. Still, we need to tread carefully.  Keep me updated on Victor. I will contact you when I can.

S: Okay. I wish you well....But just so you know... I swear if you make her cry again....The Wrath of Sean will descend!😈

O: Duly noted.
End transmission
**********

With Tsee Blackbourne gone and Victor still not quite medically sound for missions into the Ena, Fourth Squad was assigned to training the Kalrani and I was outsourced to the other squads.  I didn't mind since I was mostly assigned familiar Rotations with either Second or Seventh Squad. It felt good knowing I was helping them.  Besides, while telling them about the interview with the Nurian visitor, I had great fun describing Inisar to Tsee Toma and Kayli's reaction to my extra-set-of-twins comment. Fancy said I should have volunteered her for an interstellar love connection or at least offered him a tour of the Wellness Center so she could have shown him a 'good time'. Yikes.

Yesterday was the first kai I was off of the kaone and had spent it sleeping and finishing tenth level math. Just one more required math course and I could be finished if I wanted.  My job as a Setari is paying pretty well according to my financial status report and I don't spend much of anything since housing and meals are covered by KOTIS.  I wasn't sure what I would do apart from the Setari program, though I am sure KOTIS is going to be a permanent part of my life. Finding out that I am the super special Aveonix fairly rules out that I will have a 'normal' life one day, even by Taren standards. As far as I can tell, Setari careers are like professional athletes or dancers back on Earth. Setari serve until their nineties (Earth thirties) then go into some other specialist field within KOTIS or pursue a hobby....that is, if they live that long.  I can never forget how dangerous being Setari is.  Marc and Brandon were escorting me back to the residential hall after a rotation and we took a hallway that I had never been down.  The stark white of the wall was interrupted by a shiny black panel from floor to ceiling that ran at least five meters.  It was covered in names.

"Why are these people listed here?" I asked, reaching out to lightly graze one of the inscriptions.

Brandon and Marc exchanged a solemn glance. Brandon answered, "This is the Hall of Remembrance. These are Setari who fell in the line of duty."

"Oh, I am so sorry," I whispered retracting my hand. No wonder no one had taken me this way before.

I shook off the morose memory. Today, Nathan, Gabriel and Victor were taking me shopping in Konna.  Actually, we were going to sneak into one exclusive shop forforfor Gabriel had an appointment at.  Now that our faces were in the public domain we had nil chance of not being recognized.  I got the distinct impression that the shop attendant would be compensated generously for discretion. 

I sat graciously as Gabriel fixed my hair and we checked some of the updated pictures of Muina being released. The village Gorliath was blanketed in pristine white snow and icicles hung like crystals from the bare limbs of trees. I scrolled to the newest article.

I sighed. "They published that quickly."

"What?" Gabriel asked.

"I just submitted the name for the new city during first shift meal," I replied.

"Camelot? What is that?" Gabriel wondered aloud as he read the news article.

I explained the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. And of course, Kota had a thousand questions which led to a whole conversation about the Middle Ages and the Black Plague.  It was still so strange being the only person who knew these things.

"Merlin sounds like Kota," Nathan quipped.

"And does that make you fucking Arthur?" Gabriel teased.

"Sure," Nathan boasted, chest puffed out. He slashed around an invisible Excalibur.

"Good!" Luke exclaimed and pulled me up into his arms. "Then I can be Lance-a-lot and steal away our fair Guinevere."

I giggled as Luke spun me and the others laughed.

"We better leave now if we are going to be on time," Nathan said.

Luke released my legs so that my body slid down against his. My hands went to his chest to steady myself. He grinned and placed his hands at my waist. My shirt had lifted and I sucked in a breath at the light graze of his fingers sweeping across a bare stretch of skin. He stilled his hands and his eyes darkened as he gripped the crest of my hips, pulling me closer.

"You alright, Sang?" Luke asked, his voice low and gaze dipping to my lips. A sort of tension sizzled between us, narrowing my focus to the places our bodies touched.

"Yes," I breathed out.

"OKAY! Yes, definitely time to go," Gabriel announced loudly and hooked his arm around my neck to drag me away from Luke.  Our gazes remain locked and it felt as if there was an invisible string pulling taught between us.  "Shopping first! We can play sword in the stone later....Ow!" Gabriel was cut off by multiple chops to the head.

I blushed brightly at the innuendo and ducked out of the room, hearing Nathan lecture Gabriel, "You can't say shit like that..."

I glanced back before the door slid shut. Luke was still quiet, looking directly at me. Something shifted inside of me then, seeing such an intensely heated expression on my carefree daydreamer.