Earth Husbands are Odd (Earth Fathers #2) - Lyn Gala Page 0,51
they should. Max did not appreciate being threatened like that. “Did you kill guards?” Kohei asked.
Max raised his eyebrows. “That's the sort of question your Rick Father might ask, and your Rick Father is paranoid about my past as a warrior.” Kohei’s tentacles relaxed, and Max shook his head. “Just because I know how to fight doesn't mean I fight everyone. Besides, I was outnumbered.”
“You were outnumbered by Hunters, and you killed,” Kohei said.
Max had to admit that had there not been so many guards he might have considered trying to fight his way through. He probably would've gotten his ass kicked, but he would've tried. “I had the advantage being on my home turf, and they didn’t give me a choice. I tried cooperating, and they were going to kill us anyway.”
Kohei’s tentacles twitched. Hard. “I believe authorities have concern over reports that humans are warriors, so they send many escorts in case humans make troubles.”
At least they respected his ability to defend himself. That was more respect than most Marines gave him. “Why were they escorting us? You keep saying I'm not under arrest, but this feels like an arrest. And where is Dee? They separated us.”
“I am ignorant of location of Dee, but I understand the reason for the escorting. The authorities have accused Rick Father of manipulating a moron species in order to avoid sanction penalty on his navigation program. They also accuse Rick Father of being the source of weapon modification and armor that Max Father sold to others.”
“Oh fuck.”
Kohei’s tentacles snapped up into coils. “Translator translated oddly,” he said with a bugle.
It took Max a half second to realize that the computer must have translated the word fuck literally. That was a glitch he had fixed in the translator on the ship, but for all its improvements, the trading translator needed fine-tuning. “I meant that only as a general expression of dismay.”
Kohei’s tentacles uncurled. “Dismay is appropriate, Max Father. Rick Father is distraught.”
“Fuck.” Max sank onto the narrow cot. “What do the authorities want to do?” If they touched one finger on Rick’s smallest tentacle, Max was going to demonstrate the term “homicidal rage.”
“They wish to take Rick Father’s everything.” Kohei moved closer and brushed a tentacle across Max’s arm. Max caught the tentacle and used it to pull Kohei close enough to hug. Kohei’s tentacles wound around Max’s neck and then Kohei was pulling hard enough that Max almost got dragged to the floor. He braced himself as Kohei hauled his bulk up into Max’s lap and then curled his walking tentacle around Max’s waist. Xander was the only one who had ever wanted to sit in Max’s lap before, but if Max’s mother had been there, he would have had the same urge.
He wanted to curl up in someone’s lap while they figured this out. However, he was the parent, and now he had to pretend to have the situation under control when it was one giant FUBAR. He held Kohei and rocked the way he had when Xander had been small... all of three or four month ago. They grew up so fast.
“I need information. We have to save the family, and that means I need you to tell me everything. Why do they think they have a right to take the ship? What will the authorities do? What will Rick do? Is there any way to get a lawyer?”
Kohei kept his leg tentacle tight around Max’s waist. “They believe Rick Father will flee. They hope to take the ship before he can.”
“They think he will flee?” When Kohei didn’t respond, Max realized that he thought Max was simply repeating information. “Query, why do they think Rick Father will flee?”
“Every instinct tells Rick Father and Xander and James and Kohei to flee. Hide. Preserve as many tentacles as possible from predators. But Max Father is here, and that is like having walking tentacle caught by big predator and James is lashing tentacles and Rick Father is doing math and I am here and Xander is making words that are not words.”
Max leaned back so he could see at least a couple of Kohei’s eyes. “I need to speak with an authority. I want the right to argue my case that Rick Father did nothing wrong. Humans believe in the right to defend ourselves with words.”
“I will call for...” And once again, Max was treated to untranslated whale-song. He had to assume from the context that Kohei knew what Max was asking