Thought I’d tease you with a small glimpse into this world –
Davd firmly shut the door behind him and dumped his pack on the bed. It had been a good trip, but he needed to shower and check in before anyone realized how long he’d be gone.
He was good at that now, but he had to remain cautious. It had been a smart move to volunteer for gimp liaison. No one wanted the tedious job; therefore no one was checking on him when he was out of communication for short periods. No one even realized he was gone.
Out of the shower, he checked his pad for any meetings that might have been called while he was gone. No meetings, but a date with Kala tonight. He probably should have gotten out of it, but too late now. She was authorized by Puter to have a son and since her graduation, she’d been set on using his DNA for the job.
Wasn’t going to happen. She was okay in bed, but he had no plans to contract and therefore no plans to procreate. He’d seen what it did to kids. Fratz, he’d lived it. No way would he put some child through that on purpose. Puter wouldn’t miss one male child.
A quick liaison tonight would take the edge off though. Kala was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. She should be with all the practice she got. It didn’t matter to him; she was merely a sex partner, no strings. But sometime it might be nice to feel something for the women he slept with, maybe. At least he knew something was missing. Maybe someday the perfect woman would fall into his arms. He laughed to himself as he hurried out.
He made it to roll call early and caught up on what gossip he missed over the last four days. He did marvel at the thick-headedness of his fellow enforcers. They honestly thought the shirkers they brought in, the petty thieves they caught, were the extent of what was going on. They trusted Puter. Oh well, it made his job easier. Especially now that Cal was in charge.
Davd took his assignment and made certain his absence had caused no stir. Alone, he headed out to check on a report of a possible shirker making a nest in a seldom-used area on the factory level.
That was what he was trained for, officially, but no longer his real work. He’d been . . . stunned wasn’t a strong enough word for how he’d reacted when Ralt had approached him. Ralt of all people. The man who seemed the epitome of a true rule follower. Shirkers, real shirkers, were among them.
There were villages on the planet, near each of the arcologies, and an underground existed that kept people in contact and informed. They even helped people escape to outside. That no longer felt like a negative word to him.
The villages were generations old and those people lived in harmony with the land, not ignoring it or taking it for granted like the box dwellers did.
Having been to the village closest to Thirdport on numerous trips now, helping true escapees and taking in occasional supplies from the old stored items – those originally meant for that purpose anyway – he felt at home there. Much more at home than he did here.
A smile grew on this face. He had a home there now. Not big, just for him since he had no plans for a family, regardless of Puter’s edit. This was a house he had worked on each trip outside. Now it was there and ready for him when he decided to remain outside. Carla had presented him with cushions she had made herself from bright fabric scraps for the chair and couch. The homemade quill that covered his bed had been a present from the community, which had truly humbled him.
He knew he had helped out as courier, but to be appreciated like that felt different. It felt like home.
