Keeper Read Free

for meet them in the landing bay.
    Aggie’s heart went out to him when she saw his hunched shoulders and hopeless expression. “Wovian, I have been sent by your family. Please come with me.”
    He shuffled toward her, and she put restraints on him before walking him into the Grey Talon .
    She turned her head toward the ship’s security. “Thank you for your assistance.”
    The captain jerked his head. “He seems harmless enough.”
    “He does, but he has to face his future and make a decision. He can’t make that choice out here.”
    “Take care of him, Keeper.”
    She sighed behind her mask. “That is my job.”
    Wovian waited, and she made sure he was clear of the doorway before she sealed it and removed his cuffs. “Come with me, please.”
    He followed her in silence, and she showed him his room. “The door does not lock, but I will always knock before entering.”
    He nodded to indicate that he had heard her and sat on the bunk. “It doesn’t matter. I know why you are bringing me home, and there is nothing I can do about it.”
    She felt for him. He was so resigned to the whole scenario.
    “We are detaching immediately, so please strap in until we are on our way.”
    He nodded and folded the seat out of the wall. He sat and the robes he was wearing shifted around him.
    There was no way a teenage boy should look like he was heading to his own execution, no matter his species.
    Aggie headed back to the cockpit and settled in. “I don’t feel good about this one.”
    “The transport? It will be fine.”
    “No. Hauling a child home to face a loss of self is not something I thought I would have to deal with.”
    Talon made an exasperated hiss. “He is not a child by your standards. He is forty-eight years old.”
    Aggie blinked. “But, he isn’t an adult by the standards of his own people.”
    “That is correct. He has two more years before he is legally allowed to reject the position, but they want him back now, before that happens.”
    “So, they want to pin him in place before he can reject the choice, and we are here to make that happen. How could the planet be so unfeeling?”
    “It is a choice they make. If it is seeking a new Avatar, then there are a limited amount of options as to why. Some planets seek them out regularly, on a timer. Some wait until their Avatar is failing before looking for another. Others do it because their Avatar is seeking a mate or a normal life, and they can’t bear the emotion anymore. It is a complicated thing.”
    Aggie rubbed her faceplate. “Is it something that can be undone?”
    “Of course, but some planets are better fits for their Avatars then others. Some literally burn their Avatars out.” Talon showed her the trajectory and the estimated time of arrival.
    Aggie nodded and got to her feet. The clock was ticking, and she didn’t know what she was going to do about the young man in the guestroom.
    Her second assignment and she was already wondering if she was doing the right thing.
    She headed to the guestroom and knocked on the door. “Wovian? I would like to speak with you.”
    The door opened and her defeated passenger looked down at her. “Yes, Keeper?”
    “Come with me, I think I need to know what is going on.”
    He looked at her with his tusks protruding from his jaw and giving him the look of a surprised troll. He might be a juvenile, but he was not a child.
    She headed down to the kitchen with him lumbering after her. Now that he was alone with her and away from the large security guards of the transport, he looked considerably larger.
    Aggie showed him where to sit, and she set the dispenser for tea.
    “Tea, caf or water?”
    He blinked, “Tea, please.”
    She set out two cups, and when the light changed on the dispenser, she removed the carafe. “The tea won’t be as nice as what you could have landside, but it is all I have available.”
    “Why is a robot drinking tea?”
    She grimaced and set the carafe down before releasing her