Page 44 of Swept By The Alien Pirate Prince

“She’s toxic,” one of my officers mentioned with a scowl.

“Agreed,” a guard chimed with an icy glare.

“She’s gone now,” another said with a huff. “Good riddance, I say.”

“Yes, but unfortunately Cyburn still seems to be making the same mistakes he made with Amada — but only now with thisnewwoman, and ahumanto boot,” another quipped.

“You all are speaking about me as if I’m not here and can’t hear a single word you’re saying,” I bellowed through the group.

“You said we could speak our minds,” a few others protested.

I tossed a wary glance with Nix. “Even though they are right, I’m worried now that this might get out of control.”

“The weather is getting bad too,” Nix said and shuffled across the sand, trying to position his body closer to both the group and the center of the netted tent.

I addressed the crew. “I understand that Amada was a problem, and that I was blind to her antics. I ignored all the warning signs. I have no problem admitting that. However, things are different with Carmela. She’s kind, she’s loyal, and she’s not crazy.”

The same officer that was first to speak up made a scoffing sound in the back of his throat. “You say thatnow. But that’s probably how it started with Amada.”

I contemplated, getting an edgy sensation in the pit of my stomach.

Nix provided a shrug and gave me a ‘he’s not wrong,’ frown.

“Amada was also dependent on a loaded cocktail of pills that contributed to her belligerent behavior,” I reminded everyone.

“We aren’t saying we don’tlikeCarmela,” one of my lieutenants said with a patient flicker in his eyes and a wholesome smile. “We’re just saying that you are integrating her into our unit, our team, ourfamilytoo fast.”

“I understand how it looks,” I agreed. “I’ll acknowledge that my track record with women hasn’t been successful, or particularly smart, but Carmela is not on drugs and she’s a trained roboticist. I have had many conversations with her about her motives since our arrival on Machinoor.”

“Regarding what?” One of the guards arched a cynical eyebrow.

“Regarding her loyalty to the cause, and to us.”

“To you?” the same guard asked.

“It starts with me, yes.” I nodded. “I trust her. I connect to her. Our chemistry is right. We hardly ever fight. I always had explosive fights with Amada. The dynamic was completely different with Amada than it is with Carmela.”

“Just because you don’t fight, doesn’t mean she can’t go crazy and betray us all just like Amada did. Think about it. Amada wasoneof us. She was of ourrace.Carmela is a human. If she makes a deal with the Belic, or decides she wants to head to one of the embassies, we’re screwed.”

I closed my lips and shook my head. “She’s not going to do that.”

“How do you know?” they argued.

“I just know.”

I was met with looks of misgivings, looks of ‘how are we supposed to take your word for it.’

I shifted my weight from leg to leg. “Look. I know there is a lot at stake, and Carmela will need to prove herself to you, but just try not to be tense around her. She senses it. She thinks you don’t like her.” My eyes panned the group. A few crew members exchanged guilty expressions, so I knew I wasn’t too off the mark.

“Maybe we’ve been a little too hard on her,” they agreed.

“Things are starting to go back to some form of normalcy now,” I offered. “We’re in a safe place, and the repairs on the Bladeare moving ahead of schedule. We are putting ourselves in a better position to fight. Having a seasoned roboticist to back us up is better than not having one at all.”

No one argued with me on that front.

“We just want you to think with your head and not with your…” one of my guards said, then glanced downward at my crotch and ended with a sheepish, “well, you know.”

I ignored his implication. “We need Carmela’s computer skills. She’s specialized in this area. Her expertise is paramount right now. The fact that we are also lovers should have nothing to do with her level of training, and what she can contribute to the fight.”

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