A Spaceman

Chapter 23 A hard night's day

"I can't believe she's gone," Tom says, we are sitting at dinner which is not tight therefore we can whisper quietly. Tsegi always used to dine with us. I'm not very talkative because I am ensuring that tonight's plan to eliminate Tyrell is seamless.

"I know," Logan says, sadly, "She was nice. I don't understand why people keep dying here."

"I'll do something," I promise Tom, taking a drink of my milk.

"What are you going to do?" she asks, turning to me quickly.

"You'll find out tomorrow," I say, "Or tonight, depending on how well my plan goes."

"What are you going to do?" Logan asks.

"Is there an echo in here? I've said, you'll find out tomorrow," I say.

"Why? Titus, is it dangerous?" Tom asks, "If you know something just tell the MPs, please?"

"No, she's your friend, you'd like it if her murderer was made to suffer, right?" I ask.

"Yes but---I don't want you torturing people," Tom hisses, "Or whatever you're going to do, just let the police handle it."

"Yeah, can you torture people?" Logan asks, they are both staring at me suspiciously.

"Have you tortured people?" Tom asks, slowly.

"Only my brothers, and my mum cut them free before they needed to go the hospital for long, no---I've not time for that sort of set up, as I said, you'll see how it goes in the morning, but we do need to reestablish order," I say. High time Tyrell knew who was the master here. This is my game and I am the one who sets the rules. And Tyrell had broken them.

"Please, Titus, why won't you just tell whatever you know to the police?" Tom asks, "Let them handle it?"

"I'm cleverer than they are," I say, flatly.

"Be that as it may it's still their job," she says.

"Yeah, you're just a cadet," Logan says.

"Yes, exactly, please keep telling yourself and anyone who asks you that, that," I say, emphatically, to Logan, finishing the last of my milk.

"But you are---Titus," Tom sighs, "You don't need to get hurt, Tsegi wouldn't want that."

"I won't get hurt, badly," I say, starting my second glass, "Why aren't you eating?"

"Because I don't trust the pies anymore and drinking milk is disgusting now because I watch you do it too much, don't change the subject," she says, annoyed.

 "I've told you, I'll fix things for your friend," I say, annoyed now, "I thought you'd be glad."

"I am; I don't want you hurt," she says.

"Me neither," Logan says.

"Titus, you're our friend, we don't want anything to happen to you any more than we wanted it to happen to her, we don't want to loose you too," Tom explains. Her hands are on her lap, and she reaches over to squeeze my knee.

"I see," I say, looking at them both. They genuinely like me. But that's because they don't know who I am. Why though? They don't know my thoughts or that I am a murderer, but they do know I'm callous and poke at bodies and tell people to create distractions who then set themselves on fire, and they do know I put guidons on roofs. Yet they still like me. I won't chop Logan's head off, then. I hope he gets out of Spaces Forces, I don't want him playing in the game. Tom will play on my team, like it or not. I'll make sure she's always on my team. He's too stupid to play on my team but I don't think he belongs in the game.