ChapterOne
SINATH
It’s a lovely morning in Port. The sun is shining, the air is brisk and cold and crisp, and burns my lungs when I breathe in. I love it, because the air feels so clean in comparison to the recycled station air. I don’t even mind the chill or the way my breath frosts in front of me, or the mud that clings to my boots as I walk down the main street in my uniform, doing morning rounds in case any of the colonists are in need of assistance.
It’s a lovely morning…which means someone is bound to ruin it. And when I see the bright-eyed female that marches up to me, I have to resist the urge to run in the other direction. I do allow myself a groan aloud. “You.”
“Me,” she announces tartly. “I need your assistance, Custodian. That’s your job, isn’t it?”
Why must I run into this female out of all of them? The one that insists upon cavorting with rodents and screaming at me when I try to dispatch them? I keep a frozen smile on my face even as I eye her appearance. She looks seemly enough for a human. Her hair is a pretty dark brown, her eyes dark as well. Her features are unremarkable except for the steely determination in her gaze.
That, and she has one of those rodents perched on her shoulder. I can’t help but gesture at it. “Those are unsanitary, you know.”
“Jerry had a bath this morning,” Colonist Devin Santoya declares. “And I give him the same vaccines that I give the meat-stock, so he’s not carrying diseases. You’re just prejudiced against animals.”
“Only the nuisance ones,” I reply, determined not to lose my temper with her. I give her a broad grin. “The others taste delicious.”
She purses her lips and then reaches up to pet the rodent clinging to her shoulder. “Don’t listen to him, Jerry.”
The thing actually chitters at me as if he’s scolding me. I scowl, because everyone knows rodents are stupid and don’t understand language. It’s just bad timing. Tell me what I can help you with, colonist, before your rodent runs on a disease-riddled rampage through town.”
She purses her lips and gives me another unpleasant look before gesturing at the air. “This weather. I haven’t been here on Risda long enough to recognize the change of the seasons. Is it about to snow?”
“It might. And if that’s what you need assistance with, I’m afraid I cannot help you. A custodian can do many things, but we can’t control the weather here. There’s no climate satellites on Risda III.”
Her expression is withering. “I’m not asking you to control the weather. I’m just asking for confirmation on snow.”
“Then yes, it is most likely going to snow. I can smell it in the air.”
Devin’s face lights up and a brilliant smile curves her lips. I’m fascinated at the sight of such joy on her face, and it makes her so pretty in her happiness. “That’s wonderful.”
“I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
She laughs, and the sound is bright and lovely and makes my tail twitch pleasantly. “I actually do need help. I need a tree.”
Another bizarrely strange statement from her. I clasp my hands behind my back, trying to follow this logic process. “If you wish to grow trees upon your property, you can put in a request for seedlings at the land office—”
The human waves my words aside. “No, no, I need a tree. Right now. Today. The property neighboring mine is plot 435, and it has the perfect tree on it.”
“So you wish to…deforest another human’s property? I’m afraid that’s against the rules, colonist.”
She gives me an exasperated look. “Deforest—what? No! I’m not going to deforest it. I’m going to make a Christmas tree for Liesje to try and cheer her up. She’s depressed, you know.”
I don’t even know who Liesje is, or what she could possibly be depressed about. “Why?”
“That’s what we do. We lift each other up.”
I shake my head, crossing my arms over my chest. “No. Why is she depressed? She has a fine farm and her freedom. She should be thrilled that Lord va’Rin has been so kind.”
The female—Devin—makes a face at me as if I’m disgusting. “You know, we can be grateful for what we have and still be fucking sad over what we’ve lost, you absolute cretin.”
I am not certain what a “cretin” is but it does not sound flattering.
Frowning at her, I try to change my tactics. Rektar would not like it that I am picking fights with the human colonists. Even though they can be unreasonable at times, he reminds me that we are here to work with them and meet their needs. Our job is dependent on their presence, on their need for assistance. If I cannot assist, I do not have a job. So I force a smile to my face. “Why would killing a tree cheer her up? Does she revel in destruction?”
Her face screws up and she tries to storm past me. “You know what? Forget you. I’ll find someone else to help me. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your attempts to kill Jerry.”
Oh no. Just earlier today Khex was pointing out a complaint I received from a colonist. If another complains about me, it’s not going to look good. I jog after the human female, my tail thrashing in annoyance even as I try to wear a smile on my face. “I will help you. I am just trying to understand why killing plant life will make someone happy. Stop and explain it to me.”