Earth Husbands are Odd (Earth Fathers #2) - Lyn Gala Page 0,31
of frustration he would hear if they had the fancy business translator. And he got it. He did. As much as he hadn’t wanted to be assigned to active combat, he remembered the frustration of watching other pilots get those positions. He’d railed against the unfairness of never getting the opportunity to prove himself, all because someone had spread a true rumor about his homosexuality where an Afghani translator overheard it. It sucked knowing that you weren’t welcome, and it broke Max’s heart that James felt shut out.
“You are brilliant,” Max said as soon as Xander was safely out of the fray. Hopefully that meant James was listening.
“Much annoying with brilliance,” Rick added.
Max grinned at him. “Yep, you make good offspring,” he told Rick. The undulating tentacles suggested that Rick appreciated the compliment, even if James was still all stiff tentacles. “But kiddo, Carrington has this screwed-up idea that your people aren't worth trading with, just like she had a screwed-up idea that humans were useless and harmless.”
“You taught her of screwing up perception with humans. Teach her different with Hidden People,” James demanded.
“I am trying very hard to do exactly that,” Max said. Having to look James in his eyes and tell him that the world was unfair—that sucked. Maybe if they could earn enough money, they could reveal the true author of the navigation program and then move to a part of space with absolutely no sentient life. Max was starting to think sentience was overrated. His family and a dog, and he’d be happy.
“Return to waters,” Rick said.
“I’m not dry,” James argued. He was sounding more like a toddler every second.
“Then go elsewhere.” Rick’s volume did imply snapping.
With more gentleness than Max expected, Kohei herded his little brother toward the door that led back into the main living areas. Max watched them go. “I hate this universe. Star Trek promised me that space was going to be better.”
“Star lied,” Rick said. “I didn’t know I hated until you showed me reason for much hate. I am unsure whether you should say sorries or I should be grateful.”
That was a pretty damn good summary of the whole fucked-up situation. “Maybe both.”
“Logical and illogical.” Rick blew bubbles. “Humans make life odd.”
Max huffed. “That we do.” He held a hand out toward Rick, and he curled a tentacle around it.
Rick didn’t speak for several minutes. “I worry. Carrington is not with trustworthiness. Be very carefuls.”
“I will,” Max promised. “Trust me, I know all these people are backstabbers. They want profit, and they will hurt people to get it.”
“They possibility hurt Max,” Rick corrected him.
“I won’t let them,” Max promised.
Rick tightened his tentacle around Max’s wrist. “Do not make with more violent words.”
No one could do guilt like Rick. He was a master of the art. Max curled his fingers around Rick’s tentacle and held on. He couldn’t make promises, not when he wasn’t sure how Carrington was going to treat him. Now that he had broken them out of the fallacy of believing humans harmless.
Rick headed after the kids. Feeling slightly worthless as a father and more stressed than ever, Max headed into the muggy morning air. This morning, the planet smelled of something sweet and earthy, like a strawberry that had gone off. Max sneezed, and Xander’s tentacles flew up in the air.
“Max Father!” he bugled.
“It’s a sneeze.” Some days Max did not understand the family. They’d heard him sneeze dozens of times, and it never failed to freak them out. Apparently the idea of losing control over breathing ranked right up there with spiders and heights. Worse even. None of them could understand the fear of spiders at all, which had turned a night of watching Big Ass Spider into a week-long running joke about human illogic. Max never wanted to see a spider again, because then he would have four obnoxious family members pointing out the ridiculousness of being afraid of one. “I sneeze all the time.” He headed down the empty boardwalk that led to town and the nicer part of the docks. Carrington had her ship in that section.
“Disturbing!” Xander said as he followed.
Max ignored the complaint. “I wish you would be more understanding with your brother.”
“James is poop head.”
“James is frustrated that he doesn’t get to help. Look at it from his point of view—you get to help and he’s left behind.”
“Kohei and Rick Father are left behind.”
“And he probably expects them to be equally frustrated.”
“I never acted like poop head when you spent