^He ran to the hover. He had to make sure all the new components were properly attached; he had to close up the body, make sure it ran smoothly. He didn’t want it to break down halfway there. Although now that Tech was better, if Jacoby had missed something, he’d fixed it.

The Hover was in perfect condition, Jacoby decided after checking the welds. He had half the body closed up when Alex reached him. Lips pressed tight, Glaring ahead of him, instead of looking, he entered the hover, where he searched for something, slamming cabinet door shut. Jacoby had expected him to be in a better mood now that Tech was cured.

He couldn’t believe it had worked. Maybe it had to do with the focus and concentration needed in stacking the stones? The repeated motions teaching control over himself? It seemed far-fetched, but Tech was there, confident, in charge. He looked toward the Temple. Tech was talking with some of the locals, and the conversation didn’t look to be going well. They were gesticulating, while Tech stood there, still.

Maybe they wanted him to stay? To continue protecting them? The corporation would be checking in on this place at some point if not very soon. That explosion had to have registered somewhere. And without Tech, Jacoby and Alex, he didn’t think they’d last long. That wasn’t his problem, they could rebuild elsewhere. Maybe that was what Tech was telling them. To move to a place the corporation wouldn’t find them.

Jacoby went back to closing up the hover. At least Alex had grown quiet inside.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Alex was standing at the nose of the hover in his gray and red armored clothing. His harness under his jacket, a gun at his hip. Back in full merc mode.

“I was thinking we needed a fast hover, well a more reliable one, anyway. You’d be surprised the things you can make one of these do when they are properly tuned.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.”

Jacoby placed the last cover against the hover. “If that isn’t what you mean, then no, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alex shoved him. “You spend all your time here bitching about how we’re not on our way to your quaint little town.” He tries again, but Jacoby steps out of the way. “You constantly tell me how I’m wasting your time. How we’d have better luck curing him elsewhere. And now that he’s better you go and let him almost kill himself?”

“Wait a minute, I didn’t let him do anything. He was going to do it with or without me. The best I could—”

“That’s not the point! He got hurt! He could have been killed! That’s your fault!”

“Alex, I know you’re hurting, you almost lost him, I get that, but he's fine. He’s talking with those fine people, he’s going to come here and we’re going to leave. Everything is fine.”

“He’s not fine,” Alex growled, “You’re just too fucking self-centered to see it. All you’re thinking about it what you want. You don’t fucking care about how things should be. You just want your little fantasy to be maintained.”

“My fantasies? What are you talking about? I’m not the one who picked this place because he thought some spiritual mumbo-jumbo would fix the guy he’s in love with.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Luck, nothing more. You got lucky.”

“You don’t fucking know anything. You think the stuff you’ve seen in your long life is the only real stuff there is. Well, there’s a whole lot more out there than you think. If you bothered getting to know people, and—”

“I get to know plenty of people."

“Give me the name of one Samalian in your fan club.”

“I don’t know any of them.”

“Yeah, I noticed. If they don’t have smooth skin, you don’t want to have anything to do with them. Like I said, just what you already know.”

“Hey, I’ve known plenty of aliens in my life. I happen to consider Tech a good friend.”

Alex barked a laugh, bitter and lacking any humor. “You don’t even know one real thing about him.”

“I’ve read his—”

“And you don’t believe one word of it. You think what you read there is the act. If you believed that was Tristan, you’d never have let him stay. He’d have called the Law on him.”

“I know him as well as I need to know. I told you before everyone as secrets and I don’t care. Maybe Tech is Tristan to the rest of the universe, but he’s my friend, our friend. He’s helped everyone back home at one time or another.”

Alex studied Jacoby’s face. “You fucking believe that.” He threw his arms in the air and laughed. This time the laughter was genuine. “He fooled you of all people. I guess that after Vic I shouldn’t be surprised. If he can fool a Law officer why not a merc?” He sobered. “I’m curious to see what you’re going to think when he’s killing you.”

“Tech wouldn’t—” Jacoby didn’t finish. Tech was coming toward them. Behind him, by the Temple, the Samalians were gathering and heading for the forest. “What’s going on?”

“I explained to them they need to leave this place for a while. How are things here?” Tech looked from Alex to Jacoby. “Alex?”

“I’m good.” Jacoby was surprised at Alex’s tension with Tech standing next to him.

“I’m almost ready, only a few more plates to secure and we’ll be ready to go home.”

“No,” Alex said as Tech opened his mouth.

“Excuse me?” Jacoby asked. “The deal was that once he was cured we were going home.”

“They hurt him.” Alex’s voice was hard and cold. “They could have killed him. No one does that to him and gets away with it.”

“You can’t be serious. You don’t take on a corporation. If they’re after us the best thing we can do is get out of here while they think we might have died in the explosion. Once they’ve looked over the area and realized we aren’t there. They’re going to lock every way off this planet tight.”

Alex snorted. “After I’m done with them, there isn’t going to be enough left to be able to lock a door.”

“Alex, you can’t get revenge on a corporation, they’re going to crush you.”

“Maybe you’re scared of them. I’m not. They’re going to pay for hurting Tristan I’m going to tear them apart line by line. I’m going to make them scream until there’s nothing left to make sounds.”

“You can’t make a corporation scr—” Jacoby looked at Tech. “Talk some sense into him, will you?”

Tech looked thoughtful, then he nodded and Jacoby felt better, until Tech spoke.

“I’m with Alex,” he said calmly. “They need to pay.”