by Susan Kelley
The last few months hadn’t eased Vin’s discomfort with civilians though he hid it well. Then again, Emma had deduced his military background easily enough. Being around her rubbed against the temper he’d discovered within himself since losing Yalo. Trying to fit in with these illogically minded people frustrated him further.
The large man Vin had met in the surgery two days previous rose from the table nearest the kitchen. He held his hand out in the common civilian greeting. “Sorry I didn’t take the time to welcome you as I should have with the emergency and all. Most name me the mayor around here though I hold no official office. Call me Vannie as the rest of them do.”
Vin took the mayor’s hand and shook it with a firm grip. It served to measure the man’s massive strength and gave proof of a hard life in his rough calluses and crooked fingers. “Vin Smith.”
“Smith?” Vannie smiled and raised an eyebrow.
Vin wondered if he’d chosen some notorious moniker. So many people acted amused upon hearing it. Perhaps it wasn’t the innocuous name he’d intended.
“What brings you to Merris Five?” Vannie gestured for Vin to join him as his table.
Vin had prepared a story. “I caught a ride on a transport ship after my last job ended. I didn’t care where it took me.”
Vannie’s smile stayed but it looked less friendly. “You’re a vagabond then?”
Vin’s mind raced to put meaning to the word. It sounded unsavory and he suspected he needed Vannie’s leave to stay in Hovel Port. “I do odd jobs while seeing new places.”
“There’s more chance of work at Hadrason Mining upriver.” Vannie leaned forward across the table, his scarred fists resting beside the empty mug in front of him.
“I don’t care for the large crowds at the big mines or the demands they make for past work histories.” Vin had scouted out the ugly town surrounding the deep mine. He hadn’t found Emma there but had heard about Hovel Port.
“What type of work do you usually do besides stitching up a man’s hide?” Vannie leaned back in his chair.
The big man Emma called Moe swept aside the curtain separating the kitchen from the dining area and walked through carrying a metal pot. He swept his gaze around the room and then lumbered toward Vin’s table. He snatched a cup off a shelf and slammed it down in front of Vin. Without asking, he poured steaming liquid into the cup. “Heard you helped our girl out and saved poor Russ’ life.”
The two men watched Vin as if waiting for his reply to a question. Such things confounded him about civilian conversation, but he tried. “I did what I could.”
Moe set the teapot on the table and pulled up a chair. He stuck out his hand toward Vin. “Moe Hallis. You intending to stay on here?”
Vin took the offered hand, finding it without the calluses of Vannie but just as big and strong. “I’d like to find some work.” He gestured around the café. “But I see no one is working today.”
Vannie cursed with a gift to equal a soldier. “We’re being cautious after what happened to Russ. He’s the second victim of those cursed man traps. We’ll lose three days of work waiting for the water level to go down so we’ll have a better chance to spot those damn things. We found two after the first man stepped in one and felt safe. Until it caught Russ and that was on a shallow water day.”
“Who puts them out there?” Vin had seen traps used to capture wild beasts but hadn’t imagined any coward would use them on men.
Moe slapped his hand on the table, quieting the conversations near them. “No proof, but it can only be those greedy bastards running Hadrason’s mine up on the mountain. They tried to tell us the silver we take should be theirs when we first started this settlement but even in this lawless corner of the universe, they can’t enforce such an idea.”
“Why they care is beyond our figuring.” Vannie refilled his mug from the teapot. “We manage enough silver to keep us in food and clothing. None of us are getting rich.”
“It’s pure maliciousness,” Moe spat. “They have their tons of silver and resent our ounces.”
Vin lifted the tea to his lips, knowing the expected behavior. He’d rather have pure water but wanted to continue his act of fitting in. The hot drink surprised him with a rich taste of honey and cinnamon. Not as good as water but not horrible. “Can’t you set guards on the stretches of water you pan?”
“We cover about three miles of stream, too much for us to watch. And it’s not safe out there at night,” Vannie said. “Moe and I traveled to see the big boss up the mountain. He told us they knew nothing about the traps and if the work was too dangerous for us we should pack up and leave.”
“If they want to get rid of you why don’t they kill everybody? Twenty armed men could take this town.” Vin wanted to call the words back when he saw their expressions. “I meant from a military viewpoint, it seems expedient for them to just attack.”
Moe looked at Vannie and received a nod before answering. “We feared that very thing after they ordered us to leave and we told them to go to hell. We fortified our walls and purchased some weapons when we could gather enough silver. They haven’t come at us yet so maybe we’re only a minor stinging insect to their great hulking beast. Killing or injuring one of us here and there is just them taking a swipe at us.”
Vannie shrugged. “I’d like to think they have some hint of humanity and don’t want to outright kill us. There are many women and children here. And lot of our people keep in contact with relatives in the civilized systems. An outcry for an investigation would occur if all these families were killed.”
“I think Hadrason Mining could make us disappear completely and the hell with any protest. They’d throw out bodies in some deep branch of their mine or dump them in the middle of the jungle to be eaten. If anyone came to investigate, they’d find us gone and no hint to what happened,” Moe said.
Vin sensed the two burly men had argued this before. “Hadrason Mining doesn’t wield the power it once did.”
“We heard those rumors a few months back.” Vannie leaned toward Vin with an intense gleam in his eyes. “Is Hadrason in prison?”
“Yes.” Satisfaction shot through Vin as it always did imagining the rich bastard suffering in some dank cell. Joe and the other Recon Marines had taken care of Geoff Hadrason. The mine owner deserved death but Vin would accept the prison sentence for now. All of the soulless men who had manipulated and used the Recon Marines were either dead or in prison. Except for one. Did that man protect this little town because his daughter lived here? “I don’t understand how the mines keep working when the owner is incarcerated.”
Vin caught the look exchanged by the two men. Damn, he must have said something stupid again.
“Big business like that runs itself, lad,” Vannie said. “Hadrason is probably still raking in millions every month. I bet his prison cell is a plush resort. Money buys almost anything.”
“This is true?” Was it possible that the pieces of human trash he’d delivered to the doors of various military outposts weren’t suffering for their crimes in dark, lonely prisons?
Again the men exchanged a glance. Moe answered. “You’re rather innocent of the world, aren’t you?”
“I’ve never been around rich people,” Vin muttered, lifting his cup to hide his discomfort. He was sure he’d said all the right things.
“You’ve proven yourself handy with emergency care, what other skills do you have? I have to tell you, lad, I wanted to send you on your way. But I’m thinking of giving you a chance,” Vannie said.
Vin wondered how anything he’d said had changed Vannie’s mind. At least he’d prepared clever answers for this question. “I’ve done hunting before and guarding for other settlements.”
“We could use another hunter,” Vannie said. “With Russ out and Larry gone, we’re down two panners. We’ll be short on coin for supplies until we replace them. Especially if we’re afraid to go back in the water. Don’t suppose you have any experience panning for precious metals?�
��
“No. But I’ll help clear the water of traps.”
“How?”
Vin thought of all the things he had back in his camp and even more on his ship. It would raise too many questions if they knew he had the latest weapons technology available. “I have some ideas, but I’ll need to see what you have available.”
Vannie held out his hand again. “Welcome to Merris Five. When can you start?”
Chapter Three
Emma rubbed her back after sliding the last clay pan into the oven. None of the café’s customers had complained over the last three days when Moe had no fresh bread to serve. They’d known she needed to remain at Russ’ side. Now that his fever had broken, Jenny could care for him. He woke often enough to take some broth and water.
“Sit down and rest, Emma,” Moe said. “You’ve been on your feet since dawn and I’m guessing you’ve not slept much the last few days.”
“You know I enjoy baking. It eases my worries.”
“I’m not one to turn you away from my kitchen.” Moe grinned. “I’ve been hard pressed to keep them fed these last three days when the men weren’t working.”
Emma’s chest felt tight. “So they’re back in the water today?”
“Don’t start your worrying up again, lassie. Vin checked a section of the stream for traps and is going to check a different section each day. The boys are safe.”
Her heart did a funny little hop at the mention of his name. “How does one check for traps? Wade in?” The image of Vin’s graceful stride and his lean muscular legs overlaid the nightmare memory of Russ’ torn limbs.
Moe chuckled. “I’m not sure, but he acted confident. Said he had some equipment to help.”
Emma turned to the counter where she had bowls of vegetables washed and ready for chopping. Moe busied himself dicing a thick slab of jungle antelope steak. They would simmer it all day long with the vegetables to form a thick stew to serve with the bread. Not a fancy meal, but hardy and filling. They worked side by side in companionable silence as they did most days. But keeping her hands busy didn’t keep Emma’s thoughts from to turning to Vin and the dangerous job he undertook. “Why did Vin take on such a task?”
Moe shrugged, but his knife didn’t pause in its work. “He came here looking for work, said he had experience as a guard and hunter. He brought me this antelope late yesterday, given in exchange for taking his meals here.”
“But why?”
“Does it matter? The lad wants to work, and we have a use for his skills.”
“It’s not like you to be so accepting of a stranger, Moe.” Emma had seen the ghosts behind Vin’s cool stare. Traumatized military veterans still occupied a place in her heart though it had been two years since she’d worked with any. She longed to help Vin deal with whatever horrid events lay in his past, but even her trusting soul found suspicion in his willingness to help Hovel Port.
Moe paused this time. “Normally I would have doubts, but there there’s something about him.” He tapped his temple. “He seems a bit slow in his mind, confused about simple things. You’re the doctor, but I suspect he has some kind of brain injury. He thinks real slow and careful about his words. Suspect that might be why he lost his last job. We couldn’t turn him away.”
Emma’s heart swelled with love for Moe and Vannie. The two big, tough men had hearts as soft as their fists were hard. “Thank you. Moe.”
“For what?” Moe went back to chopping the meat into bite-sized chunks.
“For being you.” Emma started slicing the yellow potatoes again. She could never express enough gratitude to Moe and Vannie for taking her in like family when she arrived at Hovel Port.
Moe grunted an answer and tossed a handful of red meat into the pot sitting on the stove. “Only hope the boy doesn’t get himself killed.”
The burst of happiness evaporated like the steam escaping through the ceiling vent. Emma wanted the chance to clear those shadows behind Vin’s eyes. What would his handsome face look like with a smile?
* * * *
Vin needed the help of five men to pull the heavy man trap from the bottom of the muddy stream. He’d already triggered the spring and could have left it but the bastards that had placed it might come back and reset it.
“Evil contraption.” Vannie wiped his arm across his brow.
Vin squatted and examined it. The mechanism looked similar to an animal trap but an inanimate object couldn’t be evil as Vannie named it. The sharp edges of the jaws did look lethal. It surprised him that Russ hadn’t lost his legs completely. “The next quarter mile of the stream is clear for tomorrow.”
“Unless they sneak back and set more traps in it tonight,” Vannie said.
“No reason for them to know this one isn’t still in there. It would take at least four men to place this device even if they have hover scooters and wenches to lower it. They probably set them all at once a while ago. You’ve just been lucky to avoid most of them.”
“I guess that makes sense, though I don’t think losing one man and crippling another is very good luck.” Vannie waved to the men still in the stream, signaling the end of the work day. The star warming Merris Five touched the top of the mountains. Full dark would follow within the hour. “Now, Vin, I know you have a camp somewhere, but it’s not safe out in the woods after dark. I know any number of families with a room to spare.”
Vin opened his mouth to object but then stopped his words. He needed to stay close to Emma. He hadn’t seen her since he’d given her the antibiotic though she’d made an appearance in his dreams every night. Vannie waited for an answer. “Let me think about it.”
“There’s red bears and packs of nasty lizards out in the jungle. We lost a child our first year here to those scaly beasts. Since then we get everyone inside the walls before dark.”
Vin had seen signs of the lizards, including a few messy kills, but hadn’t encountered them yet. “They seem to keep to the deep forest.”
“Not always.” Vannie kicked the trap, barely shifting the heavy metal construct. “You know about these things, a bit about doctoring and how to hunt. We had a handyman until three months ago. He fixed up our machinery when it broke, kept our solar power working and generally took care of things people didn’t have the knowledge to tend themselves.”
“What happened to him?” Vin expected another tale of wild animals.
“He tired of the hard work and no hope of making better than a mean living. Packed up and walked up to the Hadrason mine and caught a transport off world. He left his tools and such behind, and his workshop sits empty. He slept in the loft over the work area. Don’t see any reason you can’t take over his shop and live there.”
Vin’s mind blanked at the idea of having a place to himself. Almost like a house. His answer had nothing to do with keeping an eye on Emma Jones. “I could move my gear in before dark.”
* * * *
Emma tucked another pillow behind Russ’ back. Sweat coated his chest, and his muscles trembled. Jenny exchanged a worried look with Emma but then busied herself tucking blankets around her husband’s legs.
Emma retrieved the tray she’d set on the counter and brought it over to Russ. He’d been living on broths and water but today she’d added some bread and stew. He needed to rebuild all the blood he’d lost.
Russ’ hands shook as he lifted the spoon toward his mouth but he managed. “Thanks, Emma.”
“You don’t have to keep saying it.” Emma busied herself laying out the fresh bandages she would need to change the dressings on Russ’ legs. She would then wash and reuse the old ones. Her supplies had dwindled to less than nothing.
“I thought I was a dead man or at best a crippled man.” Russ wiggled his toes, smiling and wincing at the same time.
Emma smiled her encouragement, thrilled that he had any movement in his feet at all. She feared how much permanent damage had been done to his nerves and muscles. “You still have a long way to go.”
“I know, but at
least I’ll see my child born.”
Jenny settled on the side of Russ’ bed. “We’ll never forget what you’ve done for us, Emma, you and that soldier.”
Emma didn’t comment. Her thoughts turned to the elusive soldier too often as it was. The men in the café the previous night had talked on and one about Vin finding and disabling another trap. Between helping save Russ and finding the trap before someone stepped on it, Vin had won over Hovel Port in a matter of days. Vannie had told her that Vin intended to move into the empty repair shop that shared the wall with her surgery opposite the café.
The door swung open and as if Emma’s thoughts had conjured him, Vin backed in through the door. He pulled a metal chair behind him. The chair rolled along on rubber wheels and a small motor had been welded beneath the seat. He twisted it around after clearing the doorframe and then closed the door.
Vin’s gaze swept over the room and then settled on Russ. “I thought you might be sitting up by now. When you’re ready to get out of bed, you can use this seat until you’re back on your feet.”
“Where did you get a wheelchair?” Emma walked over to examine it closer. Though obviously made from spare parts, it appeared fully functional. She’d been worried it might be months before Russ could use crutches or canes. “This is perfect.”
Vin’s expression changed so slightly Emma would have missed it if they hadn’t been standing side by side. Did he wince?
“Thanks, Vin. Not sure I can use it today.” Russ smiled, a genuine expression of pleasure though lines of pain bracketed his mouth.
Vin gave a short nod. “Might be better to keep your legs elevated for most of the time, but you need to move those muscles a little and keep the blood flowing.”
“He’s right, Russ,” Emma said. “You could develop blood clots if you sit still too long or pneumonia.”
Jenny glared at Vin and Emma. “Can’t you see it’s too painful for him to move at all? Even sitting up taxes his strength.”
