Thick Black Theory: A Symbiont Wars Book (Symbiont Wars Universe) Read online

  Kaitlin touched the pendant on her chest. “I would flat-out suck at that. I’d end up shooting someone and have to throw myself in jail.”

  “You’ve shown restraint so far,” Tiana pointed out.

  Kaitlin shook her head. “I’m a crisis leader. This place is not in crisis. After thinking, I’ve concluded there are options to how we can make it more secure. Ties to nearby communities can be leveraged as well as taking better care of our own defenses. But, someone with a different approach needs to be in charge at home. Bernard is the senior statesman sort, and he already has the respect of the engineering team. For me, constantly hurdling the barriers of my appearance and sex when dealing with people would present a disadvantage that would not serve the community well. It might be different if I were proclaimed queen, but that’s a step backwards... not the route we need to take.”

  Tiana put her hands out and bowed a fraction again. “All of what you say, I agree to and agree with.” She straightened. “I have more information for you to consider. Your decision to look out for the whole community and the reason you gave for that decision compel me to make a higher offer, but before I do, there is more you need to know.”

  Tiana folded her hands in front of her. “We have found Marian’s parents. They were out of the country while she was at the summer camp.”

  Kaitlin grabbed the chair at her side to steady herself as the whirl of her thoughts cascaded through her mind.

  But how can they guide her? They can’t even imagine what she’s gone through.

  As Kaitlin struggled back to a place where she could think clearly, Tiana continued. “They will be coming to see her in a few days. I told them Marian needs to remain in a familiar, safe place and that you will need to be a part of her life. As she is a ward of our state, I insisted. I also want you to select a counselor to work with her.”

  “It would have to be someone who also practices a real martial art and self-defense,” Kaitlin said, letting go of the chair. “...and yoga.”

  “Again, I agree,” Tiana said. “Now we come to the other option. The first one will remain open.”

  She paused. “Kaitlin, you said having a home worth defending mattered to you. I ask you to consider that a home worth defending is broader than a little patch of the Sonora. The whole world is reeling and forces are still at work that could destroy it. I have people who are capable of doing the job of securing the Sun Sea Farm from current threats, using strategies that you could help to outline. But we need someone like you to work on another project. At my insistence, Sergeant Daniels replayed the audio of your conversation with him that held your views on team leadership when you were on your way to the border.”

  She smiled, and her tail twitched. “It impressed me enough to start watching you carefully and enough to know that I need you now for something better suited to your unique gifts. You would still be able to stay in contact with Marian by phone, but it would require extensive and extended travel. I can assure you it is vital to the world as well as everyone you care about, but I can’t give you details until you commit.”

  She held out her arms and bowed in the same attitude as her greeting. “Would you, please consider my offer and contact me as soon as you can?”

  “I will,” Kaitlin said, returning the bow.

  Tiana’s image winked out.

  Kaitlin rocked in place for a moment. “Daniels, since you are working for me now, can you please give me your honest assessment of Riniana Tiana as a person?”

  Daniels rubbed his chin. “She is the most dangerous person I have ever met as well as the most decent. After treating my head injury, she told me I said you reminded me of her. I have no memory of that, but then, I had a severe concussion at the time.” He grinned.

  “Did Amber also have to knock you out first to get your cooperation?”

  “Oh, yeah, and you remind me of her too.”

  Chapter 45 — People vs Change

  After Daniels left the conference room to guide trainees through a weapons maintenance class, Kaitlin sat in the chair she’d been holding on to for support and stared at Bernard.

  Bernard took the lid off the projector and peered at the interior. “It’s really the same question you had to think about before, isn’t it?” he said.

  “Except I have to leave the people I care about.”

  “That’s what happens when we go to war.” He pushed the lid back down. “You know you’re going, Kaitlin. It’s who you are. You always do what’s needed to protect people.”

  “I know. But this time it’s hard... really ... hard. And this time, you have to stay here. I couldn’t go if I didn’t know you were here to look out for the rest of my family, Bernard.”

  “Don’t worry, my dear. While you are off saving the world, I’ll be here keeping the home fires burning.... At my age, I’ve earned the job. I’m just sorry we older generations have made such a mess for you to clean up.”

  Kaitlin shook her head. “I’ve read history, Bernard. This has been coming for a lot longer than you’ve been around. The ones trying to make things right have always been a minority.”

  She pushed on the table to bring herself to her feet. “I have to go tell Marian.”

  Bernard rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I suggest you consider letting her have time to process the news about her parents first. I suspect that news will worry her that she will lose you. Right now, you are the one she has absolute faith in to keep her safe.”

  ∆ ∆ ∆

  Kaitlin waited two minutes after her first urge to bring the first meeting between Marian and her parents to a close before speaking. “Mr. and Mrs. Donaghy, we need to discuss some things, and Marian has an appointment with her counselor. We can circle back later.”

  Wendy Donaghy looked up, noticing Kaitlin for perhaps the first time. “But we just got here,” she protested.

  “Wait,” her husband Allen said as he took Marian’s arm.

  Instantly, Marian rotated her wrist in the disengage maneuver she’d practiced so many times with Kaitlin and stepped back. Allen Donaghy’s eyes widened.

  Marian took another step back then three to the door of the waiting room. She turned at the door to look back at Kaitlin. Kaitlin read her worried expression clearly. Don’t leave me with them, it said.

  Kaitlin nodded in reply, trying to communicate reassurance.

  Marian touched the brim of her hat and walked out, closing the door behind her. Kaitlin heard Marlee’s voice asking her a question as the two of them went down the hall.

  “What’s wrong with her? Why did she jerk away from me like that?” Allen said, turning to Kaitlin.

  “And her hair,” said Wendy. “My God! Who did that to her hair? Is this some kind of cult? Why are you wearing a gun?”

  Kaitlin went to a chair and sat down. Marian’s counselor had insisted on her sitting down and waiting for them to sit before talking, and Kaitlin agreed with her reasons—even though what she wanted to do right now was boot them both in the ass.

  After a few more of their impertinent questions, she leaned back and crossed her legs, willing her foot to be still after she’d allowed it to tap the air impatiently a few times. She looked at her watch. She would give them five minutes to shut up and sit down. If they weren’t ready to talk by then, they might need some time with the counselor first. Kaitlin watched them, keeping her face impassive, trying to predict which would choose to sit first or if the time would run out before that.

  They both were dressed in stylish continental fashion. She knew from the dossier the embassy had sent that they were both from Texas oil-dynasty families, rich—very rich by Kaitlin’s measuring stick. She wondered if the narcissistic traits they exhibited were veneer from long exposure to entitlement or imbedded deep into them.

  Does it really matter? Will the damage it causes Marian be any different if they can’t get over themselves?

  Four minutes and thirty seconds later, Allen Donaghy sat at the chair across from Kaitlin and glared
at Kaitlin, but he stopped talking. Kaitlin looked at Wendy Donaghy and raised her eyebrows in a question. Wendy sat, sniffing with a disgusted air.

  “Good morning,” Kaitlin said. “My name is Kaitlin Sannhetsdottir, and I am the sheriff of the Sun Sea and Wet Gulch territories. Marian Donaghy is my ward, coming into my jurisdiction after I tracked down and shot the man who had kidnapped her on the tenth of June this year from the Happy Days summer camp bus.”

  Kaitlin opened the file in front of her and held up the picture of Dan that she’d taken with her phone after shooting him.

  Wendy Donaghy looked away from the gruesome photo.

  Kaitlin went on. “After her abduction, he held her captive for ninety-two days until I found her and obtained her release. You can think of me as her guardian ad litem and social services case worker all rolled into one.”

  Kaitlin paused, but didn’t make the mistake of indicating it was their turn to speak. “The Sun Sea territory is under the umbrella of the Nii Federation and the Nii Embassy. We are on the sovereign territory of the Nii Federation, granted embassy status by the Federation of Native American Tribes. To put it simply, Marian is a ward of the Nii Federation and they have jurisdiction over her custodial rights. I am their sole representative in this case.”

  Kaitlin leaned back just a fraction, relaxing but not giving way. “I think that answers several of the questions you were shouting.”

  At that moment, a tap came at the door.

  “Come in,” Kaitlin raised her voice enough to be heard through the door.

  Bernard opened the door. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, Sheriff, but there are some documents that you need to sign regarding the appointments you made for militia officers. I need them for the council meeting this morning. Would you mind?”

  “Not at all, Governor Handy.”

  Bernard came in and handed her a sheaf of documents. They were real, but she knew Bernard had timed the moment.

  Kaitlin signed the documents then gestured to the Donaghys. “Governor, these are Marian Donaghy’s parents—Allen and Wendy Donaghy. They may be residents here soon, so it’s good they have the opportunity to meet you.”

  Bernard inclined his head. “Mr. and Mrs. Donaghy, you must be so glad to see your daughter alive and well. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you that will help Marian. She’s come so far in such a short time. She is an amazing young person, very resilient and resourceful.” He turned to Kaitlin, taking the papers from her. “Thank you, Sheriff.” He strode back to the door, closing it again as he left.

  Kaitlin turned back to the Donaghys. “Now that you know who I am and what my role is in Marian’s life until she is of age, what question would you have me answer first?”

  “What happened to her hair?” said Wendy Donaghy.

  Allen Donaghy nodded. “And—”

  Kaitlin, eyes still on his wife, held a finger up, cutting him off. “I noticed that you felt it necessary to focus on her hair when you first saw her,” Kaitlin said to Wendy. “I find it puzzling that you would be so dismayed about her appearance at the expense of her emotional needs. I assure you that what happened to her hair was completely her decision. Her counselor said it was an important therapeutic step for her to make on her own. Now I will answer the question you should have asked first.”

  Kaitlin turned to look at them each in turn. “Yes, her abductor did abuse her emotionally, physically and sexually during her three months of captivity.”

  Kaitlin watched their faces, not certain what she was waiting and hoping for, and—though their expressions changed—Kaitlin couldn’t read them.

  She turned to Allen. “Does that answer your last question?”

  He stared at her.

  “Your question... ‘Why did she jerk away from me like that?’ If you have been in the habit of physically restraining your daughter, Mr. Donaghy, you will need to stop and never do that again.”

  Kaitlin fought back a sigh, managing to change it to a controlled breath.

  Wendy Donaghy made a soft choking sound then said. “She’s our daughter. You’ve only known her a few weeks. Why do you think you know what’s best for her?”

  Kaitlin turned to her, counting to ten before answering. “I may not have known the Marian you sent to camp, but I know the little girl I pulled out of the cave he had her trapped in. I know that little girl very well, and that is who you are dealing with now. If you can’t come to terms with that fact, it would be better for her if you left and she never saw you again. The person she is now does not trust you to keep her safe. She is not a fool. In her words..., ‘I don’t think Daddy and Mommy... could be alive... I don’t think they would know how to stay alive.’”

  Kaitlin slid back in her chair. “She didn’t know then that you were safe in Paris while she was at camp. You can’t push the person she is now into a closet and hope the old Marian will come back. No.... If you want to regain her trust, I suggest you become people she can trust. You see, I told her to give you a chance. I told her people could change.”

  Epilogue

  Kaitlin rubbed her cheek on the soft fuzz of Marian’s head as they lay in bed. Tomorrow morning, Kaitlin was leaving for parts unknown to do aliens only knew what and save the world. Ambassador Tiana had graciously given her three weeks to get things in order for Marian, and Kaitlin had needed every minute.

  Marian traced her fingers over the touchscreen of her new phone. She was becoming very adept with it. At least at playing the games—though Kaitlin had the operating system limit the minutes she could use the phone for that each day. She had all the important phone numbers—not only on speed-dial, but memorized: Kaitlin’s, Bernard’s, Marlee’s, Brian’s, Calypso’s even Ambassador Tiana’s....

  “So, Maid Marian, was it pretty cool talking to an alien on the 3D phone today? Did you get to see her tail?” Kaitlin prompted.

  Marian put the phone down and snuggled closer into Kaitlin’s shoulder. “Yes, she told me a story about when she was little. She’s funny. She said she was only nii high. Get it?”

  Kaitlin chuckled. “That’s cool, was it a good story?”

  “Yes. She said her mommy had to go away sometimes to do things to keep her world safe too. If it hadn’t been for her mommy, Ambassador Tiana would not have lived to come here to start the Sun Sea Farm that helped save all the people here: Calypso, Marlee and everyone. She promised me she would do everything she could to make sure you got back home safe.”

  Marian lifted her head to look into Kaitlin’s eyes. “I told her you had taught me to be very brave. Did you know that nii can cry? Great big tears.”

  Kaitlin shook her head. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “I wanted to give her a hug. I don’t think it worked, but she said she felt it anyway.”

  “I’m sure she did. I know I can feel your hugs when you are far away.”

  Marian nodded and put her head back on Kaitlin’s shoulder. “Will you sing it, Mommy?”

  “Of course, love.”

  And Kaitlin sang the promises passed to her from her father, down through another generation, hoping it wouldn’t be the last.

  The End

  The next story in this universe is under furious construction. While I’m working on that, if you think you might enjoy a trip to another genre, my epic fantasy series Against That Shining Darkness is available now for a reduced box-set price or Free-to-read on Kindle Unlimited & the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library HERE.

  Thanks for reading!

  If this book meant something positive to you, your review can help other people find it and spread any benefit the stories may offer the world.

  Chogan Swan

  Appendix and Acknowledgement

  A special thank you to my amazing beta readers: Amy, Malisaunt and Mary Browne. Any issues with grammar, punctuation etc. is none of their fault and completely my own responsibility. Chogan Swan

  Rules of a Gunfight

  1. HAVE A GUN.

  1A. PREF
ERABLY, HAVE TWO.

  2. ENSURE THAT IT’S LOADED.

  3. WATCH YOUR POTENTIAL OPPONENT’S HANDS, NOT HIS EYES. NOBODY WILL EVER “LOOK” YOU TO DEATH.

  4. YOU WILL START A GUNFIGHT AT A DISADVANTAGE; SEIZE THE INITIATIVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

  5. THE FIRST GUY TO SCORE A GOOD HIT USUALLY WINS.

  6. WYATT EARP WAS A MORON; SEEK COVER AND USE IT.

  7. FIRE ‘TIL THE FELON FALLS.

  8. RELOAD AT THE FIRST TACTICAL PAUSE.

  9. BEFORE YOU QUIT THE FIGHT, MAKE SURE THE FIGHT’S OVER.

  There are many lists of rules for gun fights. Kaitlin memorized these from www.UncleDave.org