Drifters' Alliance, Book 3 by Elle Casey Page B

that. And if they get nervous, they won’t trust us. This is only going to work if we can trust one another. All of us.”
    Baebong hisses out his annoyance.
    I, on the other hand, have some things to say about that. “Trust. Trust, huh? That’s kind of funny coming from you.”
    Jeffers backs his head into his neck. “I don’t see why.”
    My next words are for everyone, not just him. “Every single person on this crew, and those who aren’t even on the crew, have secrets they’re keeping from me. You all accused me of being the one keeping secrets, but it’s not me doing that. It’s all of you.” I point at the group. “And until I can trust you, I can’t commit to flying with you beyond this mission.” I focus on Gus. “You should have told me your brother was a shadow.”
    Gus looks at the floor. “Why? So you could kick us off at the last station?”
    “Maybe. That was my choice, though, wasn’t it? Or it should have been. You took that choice away from me.”
    I look at Macon. “You’re still holding information back that could hurt me if not exposed. You put everyone in danger doing that.”
    Macon looks around at the others who are now seeing him with new, not very friendly eyes.
    I turn to my right. “Baebong, you’ve been my close friend for three years, but I don’t know anything about your past. How do I know none of it will catch up to us and cause us problems in the future?”
    He lifts his chin but says nothing.
    I stare at Lucinda next. “And you …” I shake my head. I can’t say anything else or I’ll reveal my cards, and I’m not ready to do that.
    “What about me?”
    “Never mind.” I close my eyes and sigh. “Listen, guys … we’re about to go out there and meet some people who could either make our lives really grand or turn them into nightmares that end with us floating. I need to know that we’re all a crew today. I don’t know what we’ll be when we get to our next station, but for now, I need to know that you have my back.” I open my eyes again. “I promise you that I have yours. If any one of you gets in trouble, you can count on me. I’ll be there.”
    “Same goes for me,” says Baebong without hesitation. He faces the group, not me. “As your lieutenant, I take my position seriously.”
    “What about my brother?” Gus asks. “You have his back? What if they find out he’s been shadowed and demand that we float him? Will you do it?”
    I shake my head. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with him, but I do, at least, know this. “No. No one on my crew or living on my ship gets floated by anyone but me.”
    “Wow. That’s comforting.” Gus drops his head and looks at the floor, his shoulders slumping.
    “I’m not saying he’s going to float. I’m just saying that there’s a process before that happens. A legal kind of process, and Tam’s entitled to due process like everyone else. Even though he’s not exactly human.”
    “Of course he’s human,” says Lucinda, in a tone that reveals she thinks I’m pretty frigging stupid. “If you cut him, doesn’t he bleed? Doesn’t he experience emotion? He loves his brother.” She gestures at Gus. “Machines can’t love. Borgs can’t feel love. He’s as human as you or I am.”
    “Except he came from a science experiment, not a mother’s womb,” Baebong says.
    Jeffers holds up his arms, his long sleeves hanging down and making him look like a prophet. “Hold on a moment here. Please.”
    He looks to me and I nod, giving him permission to speak his piece. I like the idea of being a captain who hears what others have to say and weighs everything before making a decision. The chicken shit in me says it’s a great way to have everyone take the blame with me when things go bad.
    Jeffers addresses the group, his voice low but firm. “We are a family. For better or for worse, these are the people you eat with, you work with, you sleep next to, and will depend on to keep you alive